Hundred Million Jobs Mission Launched to Tackle India’s Employment Crisis

Hundred Million Jobs is a new national initiative aiming to create 100 million jobs in India over 10 years. Backed by top industry leaders, it focuses on entrepreneurship, MSMEs, and skill development.

Despite India’s impressive economic growth, job creation has lagged behind. To bridge this gap, the “Hundred Million Jobs” initiative was launched on Monday, aiming to generate 100 million employment opportunities across the country over the next ten years. The plan was announced by senior industry leaders.

Key Leaders Who Launched the Initiative

Harish Mehta, co-founder of the software industry body Nasscom, AJ Patel, founder of the global entrepreneurship network TiE, and K Yatish Rajawat, founder of the Centre for Innovation in Public Policy (CIPP), announced the initiative. Many prominent figures, including Infosys' Narayana Murthy, have lent their support to this project.

Employment Challenges and Reasons

In India, about 12 million people reach working age every year. To provide jobs for these new entrants and to reap the demographic dividend, 8 to 9 million jobs need to be created annually. However, traditional employment sectors like manufacturing are not expanding enough. Furthermore, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are reducing entry-level jobs, risking a significant gap between economic growth and employment.

Entrepreneurship and Skill Development

This "100 Million Jobs" initiative focuses on entrepreneurship, reskilling, and developing companies that create more jobs. "The goal of this project is to strengthen entrepreneurs and MSMEs, who are job creators, rather than just job seekers," said Harish Mehta.

Importance of Small and Micro Enterprises

Start-ups and small enterprises, which contribute 30 percent to India's GDP, provide the most jobs. "We need to expand these beyond the big cities. Only then can we create 9 million jobs a year," said AJ Patel. Rajawat described employment as a "systems challenge," stating that a change in mindset is needed in both government and the business sector.

Infosys Narayana Murthy's Support

Many leaders from industry, civil society, and government have supported this initiative. Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, former McKinsey senior partner Rajat Gupta, and Fractal co-founder Srikanth Velamakanni are among those who have signed the project's charter. This is a non-profit initiative working in collaboration with CIPP.