In an effort to bridge the unemployment gap post the Covid-19 lockdown and its impact, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) recovery measures have seen at least 1,468 people placed in private sector jobs, mainly in Bengaluru and Mysuru, across sectors like e-commerce, logistics, manufacturing, telecom and retail.
The highest salary that people were placed at was Rs 25,000 per month. By March 31, the recovery programme aims at placing 2,500 young people in Karnataka, and 6,000 people across the country. The programme is being carried out in collaboration with the state government and district administration, Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA), Peenya Industries Association (PIA), Mysore Industries Associations (MIA) and other MSMEs in Karnataka. Magic Bus India Foundation is UNDP’s partner agency in this initiative. The recovery measures were initiated after considering that the soaring levels of unemployment had made re-employment of workers from the informal economy essential.
The employment recovery programme ensures access to job opportunities for vulnerable and the most-affected youth and adults in select districts of Karnataka. The Covid-19 pandemic caused widespread socio-economic disorder which left an inevitable impact on the vulnerable sections, especially from the informal sector, the education system and the economy as a whole.
The lockdowns further impacted incomes and livelihoods, and the limited savings have made survival extremely difficult for families living in poverty, UNDP officials said. Moreover, the World Economic Situation and Prospects report by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has stated that high unemployment caused by the pandemic in 2020 is set to continue in 2021.
Govindaraj Jeyachandaran, Karnataka State head, UNDP, said that in this particular endeavour, they were able to take advantage of Magic Bus India Foundation’s large employer partnerships to take these opportunities to the farthest regions to re-employ youths and adults who had lost their jobs during — and due to — the lockdown. Arun Nalavadi, Executive Director, Sustainability and Partnerships, Magic Bus, said, "The programme is targeted at re-employing people in sustainable employment. By March 31, we would have placed over 6,000 people in jobs across India."