Nearly 40% of IIT graduates from 2024 batch still unemployed
What's the story
Approximately 38% of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) graduates from the class of 2024 are yet to secure jobs, according to data obtained through Right to Information (RTI) applications. This figure marks the highest percentage in three years, with a steady increase from 19% in 2021 and 21% in 2022. In absolute numbers, this translates to an alarming count of unplaced students reaching up to a staggering 21,500 in the year 2024.
Rising numbers
Unplaced IIT students double in two years
Dheeraj Singh, an alumnus of IIT-Delhi who filed the RTI application, revealed that both the number of students participating in placements and those not being placed have surged in recent years. "Over 7,000 IIT students are yet to be placed via campus placement this year across all the 23 IITs," Singh stated. He further added that two years ago, this unplaced number was half at 3,400 and has now doubled to 2.3 times in just two years.
Alumni support
IITs reach out to alumni network for placement assistance
In response to the escalating unemployment situation, IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay have appealed to their alumni networks for assistance. A message from IIT-Delhi urged its alumni, "On behalf of the Office of Career Services (OCS) at IIT-Delhi, we appeal to you to consider extending a helping hand to our students." The institute emphasized that alumni support would serve as a crucial steppingstone for these students as they embark on their professional journeys.
Tech influence
AI advancements impacting job placements, says BITS VC
The Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani, has also reached out to its alumni network for help with placements. BITS Group Vice Chancellor V Ramgopal Rao noted that advancements in artificial intelligence and language models have led to a decrease in hiring needs. "Everywhere, placements are 20% to 30% lower... If two people can do the work of three people, we are already 30% down in hiring," Rao explained.