Inside India's broken jobs market and why the 'cockroaches' are fed up

India's job market is in a state of disarray, with millions of young graduates finding themselves unemployed or underemployed despite years of education and preparation. The situation has given rise to a youth-led movement known as the "Cockroach Janta Party," which uses the metaphor of a cockroach to express the frustration and helplessness of a generation struggling to find stable employment. The movement has evolved from online memes to street protests, reflecting the growing discontent among young Indians.

The root cause of this crisis lies in the mismatch between the supply of graduates and the demand for quality jobs. India has seen a remarkable increase in higher education enrollment over the past four decades, with the number of graduates growing from around 5 million in 1983 to 63 million in 2023. However, employment opportunities in the organized sector have not kept pace with this growth, leading to a significant unemployment gap.

According to veteran economist Arun Kumar, a retired professor at JNU, the unemployment crisis has created a large divide between expectations and reality. Young people graduate, believing they will secure well-paying jobs, but when that does not happen, they continue taking competitive examinations year after year, often multiple times, in the hope of securing an organized sector job.

The increasing privatization of education has intensified competition, leading to unethical practices such as paper leaks and fake degrees, further exacerbating the problem. These practices are not only linked to unemployment but also to the shortage of quality jobs in the organized sector. The government's Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data shows that youth unemployment in India rose to 16.2% in June 2025, reaching its highest level since the monthly estimates began in April 2025.

Even more concerning is the increase in the number of unemployed graduates, which has risen from less than one million in 1983 to about 11 million in 2023, a 16-fold increase over four decades. While the supply of graduates has multiplied, employment opportunities have failed to keep up, leaving millions disillusioned and uncertain about their future.