While lakhs of candidates across India apply for just a few hundred government jobs, a new report has revealed a startling fact — over 32,000 government posts are currently vacant in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. This data sheds light on the growing unemployment crisis and underlines the urgent need for recruitment drives in the region.
In India, government jobs (Sarkari Naukri) are in extremely high demand. Even for 200 to 300 vacancies, the number of applicants often exceeds a million. Yet, paradoxically, in Jammu & Kashmir, tens of thousands of sanctioned government posts remain unfilled.
This gap not only reflects inefficient recruitment but also worsens the unemployment situation for local youth who are desperately seeking stable employment.
During a recent session of the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly, CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami raised a pointed question about employment status in the state. In response, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah revealed that 32,474 government positions across departments are currently vacant.
Here’s a breakdown of the vacancies:
| Post Type | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Gazetted Officers | 2,503 |
| Non-Gazetted Officers | 19,214 |
| Class-IV / Multitasking Staff | 10,757 |
| Total Vacancies | 32,474 |
Some departments in Jammu & Kashmir are facing severe staff shortages. According to the data:
Health & Medical Education Department: 7,851 vacant posts
Public Works Department (PWD): 3,759 vacant posts
Animal Husbandry Department: 2,589 vacant posts
Other departments with significant vacancies include Industries & Commerce, Housing, Agriculture, Power Development, Food & Supplies, Finance, and Education.
Surprisingly, the Disaster Management Department is the only department where no posts are vacant.
CM Omar Abdullah also presented data on job recruitments conducted over the past decade:
54,540 total posts were reported as available.
49,564 of those posts were successfully filled.
The Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) was assigned 10,762 posts, and 9,080 appointments were completed through the commission.
This revelation has sparked frustration among job aspirants in Jammu & Kashmir, especially at a time when unemployment is peaking and competitive exams are becoming tougher. Despite having the potential to provide thousands of youths with meaningful employment, the government’s delay in filling sanctioned posts is proving costly — both economically and socially.
To tackle unemployment effectively in Jammu & Kashmir, there is an urgent need for:
Expedited recruitment drives
Transparent selection processes
Better coordination between departments and recruiting agencies like JKPSC
With 32,000+ vacancies waiting to be filled, this is the right time for the government to act and provide relief to thousands of educated but unemployed youth across the region.
