66% college graduates in India are without a job, says Naukri survey

Nearly 66% of college graduates in India are without a job offer on hand, a survey of 1300 college students by job portal Naukri has revealed. Further, of the one-third graduates who had received offer letters, nearly 44% said their joining dates have been delayed, while 9% said their offers were being taken back. 

In search of viable career options, many of the students have moved to online job portals while 17% are connecting with their college alumni and taking the referral route, the survey says. A few students are also looking at freelancing as a career option. 

Sharad Sindhwani, chief business officer at Firstnaukri.com told the Economic Times that the pandemic has affected placement prospects of the 2020 batch across 82% colleges and has further impacted internship offers for 74% pre-final year students. Students are however not losing confidence and are taking the virtual route for their learning as well as job interviews, he added. 

Further, most companies are looking to hire remotely using new-age technology. 

The survey notes that online courses and certifications are in huge demand among freshers. Nearly 70% of college students have already enrolled for online courses and almost half of them are keeping up to date with the latest developments by reading news regularly. Meanwhile, for 80% of surveyed graduates, the situation has not affected their higher education plans, the survey finds. 

50% of the students say companies have deferred campus visits. Several companies are also utilising new-age technologies for hiring and are holding video interviews and conducting online assessments.