The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), long considered the pinnacle of engineering education in India, are grappling with an unprecedented job placement crisis.
According to data revealed through Right to Information (RTI) applications filed by IIT Kanpur alumnus Dheeraj Singh, approximately 8,000 (38%) of IITians across 23 campuses remain unplaced this year.
In 2024, out of 21,500 students who registered for placements, only 13,410 secured jobs, leaving 38% still searching for employment. This marks a significant increase from two years ago when 3,400 (19%) students were unplaced.
The older nine IITs are particularly affected, with 16,400 students registering for placements this year, of which 6,050 (37%) are yet to find jobs. The newer 14 IITs fare slightly worse, with 2,040 (40%) of 5,100 registered students unplaced.
Dheeraj Singh, a consultant and IIT Kanpur alumnus, shared the concerning data on LinkedIn. "33% of students in IIT Kharagpur did not find jobs via placements last year. Unplaced students are dealing with stress, anxiety, and hopelessness due to poor job placement scenarios," he wrote.
Further exacerbating the situation, IIT Delhi has seen 22% of its students unplaced over the last five years, with 40% still jobless in 2024
"As per the RTI reply, 600 students were unplaced in IIT Delhi in the last two years," Mr Singh noted.
The data indicates a troubling trend: from 2022 to 2024, the number of registered students at the older nine IITs increased by 1.2 times, while the number of unplaced students rose by 2.1 times. In the newer 14 IITs, registered student numbers grew by 1.3 times, but the number of unplaced students surged by 3.8 times.
This placement crisis is also taking a toll on students' mental health. A total of six IIT students have died by suicide this year, underscoring the severe stress and anxiety faced by many.
"The doubling of unplaced students points to a precarious state of affairs in the best engineering colleges of the country. Around 61% of the postgraduates are still unplaced. This is an unprecedented job crisis our premier colleges and our young graduates are facing," Mr Singh highlighted.
As IITs continue to navigate these turbulent times, the job placement scenario remains a critical issue that demands urgent attention and solutions.