45% job-seeking graduates meet India’s industry demands: Report

Bengaluru, Aug 1 (KNN) Just 45% of graduates in India who apply for jobs have the readiness to meet industry’s fast-changing demands, as per Mercer | Mettl’s latest report. 

The report was exclusively shared with ET which is based on evaluations across 2,500 campuses and 440,000 learners has suggested.

According to the ‘India’s Graduate Skill Index: 2023’ report fining candidates with high employability in non-technical skills is easier than finding candidates with high job-readiness for technical skills.

About 53% of Indian graduates are employable for top non-technical jobs compared with 44% of graduates who are employable for top technical jobs.

Applied mathematics has the highest employability of 72%. 

About 48% of Indian graduates applying for AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning) roles are job-ready.

Data science and data analyst roles have employability of 39% whereas on-the-job skills such as MS Office, accounting and numerical ability showcase higher employability at 61%, 60 and 57%, respectively, reflecting the strengths of Indian graduates in office software and financial competencies across all tiers of colleges. Project management has the lowest employability of 23% among the top in-demand non-technical skills.

The widening skill gap necessitates a collaborative effort between academia and corporates to bridge this talent divide.

“Almost all of our educational institutes have to transform themselves to equip students with the relevant skills of the future and align their learning outcomes with industry needs. Industry itself is grappling with changing goalposts given changing skill requirements. If the curriculum doesn’t catch up, then the gap gets wider,” Mercer | Mettl chief executive Siddhartha Gupta told ET.

The analysis involved data from campuses in 30-plus states and union territories, with further categorisation based on college tiers (Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3) according to the National Institute of Ranking Framework by the Ministry of Education.  (KNN Bureau)