The issues of skill gaps, skill shortages, and unemployable graduates are omnipresent in India today. Though India has the distinct advantage of having one of the youngest populations in the world, ironically, most industries in India are currently struggling with scarcity of skilled labor. The country has a very large pool of young English-speaking people and has the potential to meet the skill needs of other countries and also cater to its demand for skilled manpower. Although more than 40 million people are registered in employment exchange, only 0.2 million get jobs. With current and expected economic growth, this challenge is going to only increase further, since more than 75% of new job opportunities are expected to be “skill-based.”

But, even as it struggles with many issues, India has shown impressive economic growth and has moved many of its citizens out of poverty thereby growing the middle class. India is thought of very favorably by the United States and other industrialized countries as an outsourcing center in part due to its large educated population and the perception that English is widely spoken.

By 2040, the global population, aged 65 and above is expected to reach 1.3 billion. This would result in a shortage of skilled workers in the US, France, Japan, and Germany and human- intensive economic activities would shift from these nations to developing countries like India. The demographics, the adaptability of Indian youth to language, logic, mathematics, and favorable time zones ensure that India leads the outsourced services industry, even as it struggles with poverty. The Indian situation of youth unemployment and global opportunity comprises a rare instance.