Punjab’s Employment Revolution Under CM Bhagwant Singh Mann

By Manoj Dhiman
A New Era of Job Creation in Punjab
Bhagwant Singh Mann was sworn in as Punjab's Chief Minister on March 16, 2022, and his ministry was formed on March 19, 2022. Since then, the state government, under his dynamic leadership, has been making concrete efforts to create jobs for the unemployed youth.
Tackling Unemployment with ‘Mission Rozgar’
Previous state governments failed to generate adequate employment opportunities, leading to widespread frustration among the youth. Addressing this concern, the Bhagwant Singh Mann government took a significant step by launching ‘Mission Rozgar.’ This initiative has proved to be a game-changer, bringing substantial relief to unemployed youth. Within a short period, the current state government surpassed the milestone of 51,000 government job placements by March 2025. The government now aims to provide 50,000 more jobs soon, ensuring a total of one lakh job opportunities for young people.
Job Creation Across Key Sectors
According to official data, the Punjab government has provided 51,655 jobs over the past three years. Employment opportunities have been generated in key sectors, including Cooperation, Health and Family Welfare, and Higher Education and Languages.
Transparent and Merit-Based Recruitment
A remarkable achievement of the present administration is its commitment to transparency in the recruitment process. All vacancies are promptly filled in various departments. A foolproof mechanism has been established to ensure a fair selection process, preventing legal challenges against appointments. As a result, all government jobs are awarded strictly on the basis of merit.
Combating Social Issues Through Employment
The government’s focus on employment stems from the understanding that unemployment leads to social issues. As the saying goes, ‘Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.’ Learning from past mistakes, the state government is determined to eliminate joblessness, acknowledging its role as a root cause of social problems. For the first time in Punjab’s history, a government has provided over 51,000 jobs within just 36 months of assuming office.
A Positive Change for Punjab’s Youth
The newly employed youth express their gratitude, describing the opportunity as a dream come true. They commend CM Bhagwant Singh Mann for offering regular appointments based purely on merit. Many believe that the ‘Punjab Model’ of job creation should be implemented nationwide, as it stands as the best approach for tackling unemployment. In comparison to previous administrations, they acknowledge that no government had prioritized employment to this extent, fostering a renewed sense of optimism among Punjab’s youth.
PUNJAB ECONOMIC SURVEY 2022-23
In Punjab Economic Survey 2022-23, there is mention about employment and unemployment trends in the state. As per this survey, in comparison with 2019-20, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in Punjab has witnessed a 1.2 percentage decrease, During the same period LFPR and worker population ratio (WPR) at the national level witnessed a 1.4 & 1.7 percent growth respectively. As per the latest Period Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21 labour force participation rate (LFPR) for 15+ years in Punjab stood at 50.4% and worker population ratio (WPR) for 15+ years stood at 47.2%. Efforts of the State government to provide skill trainings and employment opportunities through various initiatives like setting up health sector skill development centres and institutes like Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Services Preparatory Institute have boosted the employment scenario in the State. 
Unemployment rate (UR) at Punjab and national level has shown a decreasing trend as presented in Table 8, Unemployment rate (measured for individuals who are 15 years or older) for Punjab has decreased from 7.3 to 6.2 whereas at National level it has decreased from 4 .8 to 4.2.
The survey also speaks about `Employment Trends in both Rural and Urban areas of the state. As per the Data made available in this survey reveals that Employment trends have been relatively better in urban areas of Punjab than rural areas. As of 2020-21, unemployment rates in both rural and urban Punjab were 6.3% and 6.1% respectively. However, Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and Worker Population Ratio (WPR) at rural area of Punjab is relatively lower than urban areas. In comparison with 2019-20, LFPR has decreased by 0.7percent in urban area and 1.6 percent in rural area While as in WPR has increased 0.1 percent in urban area and decreased by 1.0 percent in rural area. Unemployment rates have marginally decreased by 0.8 percent in rural Punjab While it has decreased by 1.4 percent in urban Punjab.
Further, the survey speaks about Employment Trends for both Male and Female. As per the survey, Gender disparity is observed in employment trends in Punjab as well same as at the national level. Females have lower LFPR and WPR, as well as significantly higher unemployment rates than that observed for males. Table 10 provides a snapshot of the employment trends for females’ vis-àvis males in Punjab, as per the PLFS 2020-21. LFPR for females stood at 23.1% in contrast to 77.2% for male, almost 3 times higher. A similar difference is observed in WPR and unemployment rates for males and females.
 

CM’s QUOTE 
“It is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction for me that all the jobs have been given completely on the basis of merit, san any corruption or nepotism. The state government is ensuring that no one from the state migrates abroad so that dreams of our freedom fighters are fulfilled. Due to strenuous efforts of the state government reverse migration is already being witnessed in the state and youth are returning from abroad to serve here.”

Bhagwant Singh Mann, CM, Punjab