Decisive Factors of Employment Vulnerability of Rural Youth in the Hills of Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Youth is a precious segment of the population as they play quite a significant role in development. Youth unemployment has risen dramatically. Vulnerability increases more in the agriculture sector due to disguised employment. Reasons behind employment vulnerability may vary in different situations which need to be identified for unemployment mitigation. Hence, it is essential to understand the factors responsible for employment vulnerabilities among rural youth. The present study was conducted in the 10 villages of Almora and Pauri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand state in India. Data were collected from 210 rural youth (15-24 years) through the pre-structured interview schedule. The study revealed that 51.43 per cent of the respondents belonged to young age group, 58.10 per cent were female and most of them were educated up to higher secondary level. Regarding the relationship, education, size of landholding, media ownership and change-proneness had a significant relationship with employment vulnerability of rural youth. The study will help development functionaries to frame suitable policies and programmes.