IIT placement data reveals declining trends, raises concerns over job market: Jairam

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday raised alarms over the declining placement rates and salary packages of IIT graduates, citing unpublished data from the Modi government.

“The twin problems of mass unemployment and wage stagnation have clearly reached even the students from India’s most prestigious higher educational institutions,” said in a post on handle X.

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According to the data, between 2021-22 and 2023-24, the seven oldest IITs saw an 11-percentage point decline in placements and a Rs 0.2 lakh drop in average salary packages. The next eight IITs experienced a 9-percentage point decline in placements and a Rs 2.2 lakh salary drop, while the eight newest IITs saw a 7.3-percentage point decline in placements and a Rs 1 lakh salary drop.

Experts attribute the decline to changing market dynamics, AI-led disruptions, and high student expectations. “The job market itself has become uncertain with AI-related disruptions and layoffs in major companies,” a professor from IIT Indore reportedly said.