The reappointment of top officials is not new in Odisha. In the past 10 years, the State government has placed in a dozen of chief secretaries and DGPs in top posts after their retirement. The trend of reappointment appeared to have started after the State government made former DGP Gopal Nanda the Chief of the State Staff Selection Commission (SSC).
Former DGP RP Sharma, who opted for voluntary retirement, was offered a crucial position as the member of the Lokayukta. Similarly, Satyajit Mohanty, who retired as the Home Guard DG is now the incumbent chairman of Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC).
Moreover, senior IAS officers like former Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, along with Rabi Narayan Senapati and Sanjeev Hota was made State Election Commissioner after retirement. While senior IAS officer R Balakrishnan was reappointed as advisor to CMO, former CS Asit Tripathy was made chief of Western Odisha Development Council.
Speaking about the reappointment of the senior officials post retirement, former Chief Secretary of Odisha Sahadev Sahu said a particular category of officers are being reinstated by the State government.
Former DGP Sanjeev Marik said, “I have come across many top officials who performed phenomenally well during their tenure, but were not reappointed after their retirement. In my opinion, top officials should not be reappointed because some of them could not function in a neutral way hoping for lucrative posts after retirement.”
According to intellectuals, babus who developed good rapport with the government during their stint and helped bail out the administration from critical issues have been reappointed after retirement and given important positions.
Senior journalist Prasanna Mohanty said, “Awarding those showing undue favour during their tenure has appeared to become a trend in the State. At a time when the unemployment crisis has reached an alarming stage in Odisha, reappointing the retired babus has set a bad precedent.”
As per the data released by EPFO today, the State during the period of April -June has generated 14,463 new appointments as against 14.35 lakh new recruitments for the youths of the country in the age group of 18-25 years. As a consequence, Odisha figured at distant 20th and 16th, among the 22 major States and UTs, respectively, in job creation for youths in 18-25 years.
But the good news for the State is, as per EPFO data, the new jobs for youths in the age group of 18-25 years had seen a rise over the years.
Sample this: As per EPFO net payroll data for 18-25 years, Odisha had seen new enrolment totalling 34,011 in 2018-19, 38,944 in 2019-20 and 44,180 in 2020-21, respectively. The State's new recruitment over the years, however, remained a mere around 1 per cent of the total new recruitments done nationally.
This seems a big drag on as the youth population in the age group in Odisha has been around 3.5 per cent of the population in the age group of 18-25 years nationally. And the labour force (employed + unemployed) in the age group of 18-25 years in the State is around 2.8 per cent of the labour force nationally.
Odisha Not In Top-15 Employers
The EPFO net payroll data shows Odisha figuring at a distant 20th place in the category of 18-21 years, and the position improves to 16th in the age group of 22-25 years. Neighbouring West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh perched at a higher rank than Odisha.
In 2018, Odisha had been ahead in the generation of new jobs from states like Kerala. But now, Odisha has fallen behind. The State is only ahead of Jharkhand and Bihar, among the major states.
Top-10 Job Providers In Country
The top-10 major new jobs generators in the country respectively are: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan, the EPFO data reveals.
The Concern
Why the EPFO net payroll numbers are a concern for Odisha is, as per the CMIE and PLFS data, the population in the age-group of 18-25 yrs is estimated at a whopping around 34 lakh in the State, and the active job-seekers in the age-group are estimated at around 2.6lakh.
The statistics show acute joblessness scenario in State. Because, when over 2.6lakh are fervently searching for jobs, the job offer here counts to around 34-44k only.
Employment Exchange Data
According to the live registry maintained by the State Employment Exchanges, a whopping around 20 lakh (18 years Plus) have registered to find a suitable job in Odisha.
Since expert services like banking, finance, insurance and stocks etc have emerged as the major job generators in the country, the lack of such a diversified service sector in Odisha is proving a handicap for new employment opportunities in State.
Other major job churners in the country, as per EPFO data, are trading – commercial establishments, electrical, mechanical or general engineering products. Significantly, the engineering goods sector in Odisha also has a very poor footprint.
BJD activists have planned to hold demonstrations at Central PSUs in other districts across the State on November 6 and 8.
Similarly, the BJP youth wing activists locked up employment exchanges at several places even though police-attempts to stop them were futile.
"There are no employment opportunities here for Odisha youths and it is forcing them to migrate and work as bonded labourers. On the other hand, the State government is intentionally creating hindrances for the Central government in creating employment opportunities," alleged BJP Yuva Morcha president, Tankadhar Tripathy.
On the other hand, ruling-BJD MLA from Chhatrapur, Priyansu Pradhan said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed to keep his promises. We want to remind him of his promises made to the lakhs of unemployed youths of the State on creating job opportunities for them. If the PM fails to fulfil his promises, we will intensify our agitation."
Moreover, data from the Keonjhar district employment exchange office shows that out of the 30,000 unemployed youths who registered their names this year, only eight have got jobs.
"We are now registering names here as there are no staff in Telkoi; youths are directly coming here," said Keonjhar district employment exchange officer.
How acute is the employment creation in Odisha is evident from the fact of total jobs generated in the organised sector in Odisha in 2018 accounted for a meagre 0.4 per cent of total jobs created in the country last year. But job seeking population in Odisha in the age-group of 18-35 years accounted for around 2 per cent of country’s jobseeker population in the same age-group. The result is Odisha languished at a distant 18th among 30 major States and UTs in the indicator of job creation in 2018.
Such a prevailing bleak scenario in new jobs generation in the organised sector in Odisha was brought to fore recently by Employment Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), a central organisation that plans social security to workforce employed in organised sectors. The EPFO puts out the new jobs generated in a year based on its net payroll data with zero accounts opened in the year. The significance is it's like a census or say headcount of new jobs generated in a year in the country.
Sample this: As per EPFO net payroll data for 18-35 years, when country saw new jobs totalling to a high of around 94lakh in year 2018; Odisha could see a mere 40, 769 only. Moreover, an analysis show lack of job diversification in organised sector as most jobs come up in 2018 were of entry level only. For instance, when new jobs created in Odisha in the age - group of 18-25 years (fresh job seeker age-group) were around 32,000, it slid to a mere around 9,500 in 26 - 35 years (age-group where previous experience counts in job requirement). But uniformity seems well entrenched in job market nationally as nation saw new jobs totalling around 21 lakh in 18-25 years that moving up further to around 35 lakh in age-group of 26-35 years.
However, Odisha is ahead of States like Jharkhand, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and other north-eastern States. Bihar, Chhattisgarh remained ahead of Odisha in job creation in organised sector for the age-groups of 26-28 years and 29-35 years. The top-10 major new jobs generators in country respectively are: Maharashtra,, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Why EPFO net payroll numbers are distressing for Odisha? Firstly, when jobseekers count at around 3 lakh in age-group of 18-35 years, job-offers here count to mere thousands. Secondly, job-market is inelastic in Odisha, means job-offers not coming forth for jobseekers with work experience. In elastic job market, jobseekers can suitably get offer in all age-groups. Thirdly, fewer job-offers in Odisha vis-a-vis nationally is attributed to lack of sector diversification. For instance, expert services like banking, finance, insurance, stocks etc are the major new job generators in the country but lack of such a diversified service sector in Odisha is proving a handicap for new jobs generation. Other major job churners, as per EPFO data, are trading – commercial establishments, electrical, mechanical or general engineering products. Significantly, engineering goods sectors in Odisha has very poor footprints.
Why EPFO net payroll data is significant to assess new jobs creation? According to the Centre for Statistics Organisation (CSO), the EPFO net payroll data measures new job creations in the formal or organised sector. A study also by SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Dr Soumya Kanti Ghosh and IIM Bangalore Professor Pulak Ghosh explains how EPFO’s net payroll data with non-zero contributions indicate high probability of new job offers in a month/year.
As per the net payroll data released by Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Thursday, when the country sees new jobs counting to a high of over 60.59 lakh till November end in fiscal 2019-20, Odisha could see new jobs totalling to mere 48,338 only, which is only 0.79 per cent of total jobs generated in 2019-20.
Similarly, during the month of November 2019, the State saw new jobs numbering around 6,801 vis-a-vis a whopping of 9.64 lakh nationally.
Why the EPFO net payroll numbers are very distressing for Odisha is the population in the age-group of 18-35 yrs is estimated at a whopping around 1.48 crore, and active job-seekers in the State are estimated at around 3.2lakh.
This statistics shows the pathetic joblessness scenario in State as when over 3.2 lakh fervently searched for jobs, the job-offer here counts to mere thousands.
For which, in employment generation in the formal sector, as per EPFO data, Odisha fails to make it into the league of top-10 job creators in the country. Odisha hovers in between 18th and 20th rank in the age-group of 18-35 years.
The watch-out factor for State is it lags behind all neighbouring states in generating new jobs for the age-group of 26-35 years. However, Odisha trudges ahead from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh for the age-group of 18-25 years.
Though jobs in Odisha seem to have bounced back in the fiscal year 2019, the State seems falling by yards in employment generation vis-a-vis the national aggregate.
Till November, the State has seen new jobs count in organised sector touching 48,338 from 41, 737 in full fiscal year 2018, reveals the EPFO data. It said a net total of 48, 338 employees in age-group of 18-35 have subscribed the EPF scheme till November end in fiscal year 2019.
What is the meaning of net new EPF subscribers? EPFO terms the net payroll numbers as the count of the number of new employees who subscribed to the EPF with non-zero contribution vis-a-vis the employees who exited from the EPF scheme.
The top-10 major new employment generators in the country are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan.
Why slower job growth in Odisha? As per EPFO data, the top job churner industries in the country are expert services, trading, manufacturing/marketing/servicing and electrical and other engineering sectors. Poor footprint of such industries in the State is the primary reason behind slower job growth in Odisha, reveals an analysis.