The government plans to create fifteen million jobs in both public and private sectors by the end of the 11th Plan (2007-2012).

Speaking in Lok Sabha, the ‘House of the People', Harish Rawat, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, said that nearly 1.93 lakh engineers and 1.32 lakh diploma holders were unemployed in 2007.

The minister has proposed jobs and said that the government would provide job opportunities to the unemployed. "Along with the public sector, organised sector jobs would then expand by over 15 million, a growth rate of about nine per cent per annum," Rawat added.

The Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) aimed at creating 58 million job opportunities, during its span, but considering the recessionary conditions, the number seems to be far from possible.

The number of unemployed engineers increased from 82,000 in 2003 to 1.12 lakh in 2005, which is an increase by 37 percent. In 2006, the number however decreased to 48,000. In 2007, nearly 1.32 lakh diploma holders and 1.93 lakh engineers were unemployed.

During the first quarter of this year, some sectors of the economy showed an increase in the employment rate.

The minister said that the government has been implementing various employment orientated programmes. Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY), NREGS, Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) are few of the endeavoured programmes in this direction.