Visakhapatnam, Sep 25: A new report on youth opportunities in Andhra Pradesh has raised concerns about the growing unemployment problem among young people. The Andhra Pradesh State Handbook of Youth Opportunity was released at GITAM University in Visakhapatnam by MP M. Sribharat. The report was prepared by the Future of India Foundation.
The report studied all 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh using nearly 180 indicators from 27 government databases. It looked at five major areas — participation, opportunity, work, education and skill readiness.
Andhra Pradesh scored 45.3 on the YouthPOWER Index, below the average state score of 47.8. The state has around 1.23 crore young people. Of them, 46.4% are part of the workforce, while youth unemployment stands at 16.2%. Another 28.4% are neither studying nor working nor receiving skill training.
The biggest concern is that unemployment is higher among educated youth. Only 3% of people with secondary education or less are unemployed. The rate rises to 12% among those with higher secondary education. Among college graduates, unemployment reaches 41%.
Young women graduates face an even bigger problem. The unemployment rate among female graduates is 49%, compared to 37% among male graduates.
The report also found some positive changes in basic facilities. Around 99% of schools have electricity, working toilets for girls and internet access. Child stunting has also fallen from 31% to 25%.
Digital access among young women has improved sharply. Between 2021 and 2024, internet use among young women increased from 21% to 64%. Bank account ownership also reached 92%.
However, better school facilities have not fully improved learning outcomes. Only 48% of Class 6 students meet language standards, while just 41% meet the required level in mathematics. One in three primary schools also depends on a single teacher.
There have also been changes in the type of jobs young people are doing. The share of youth working in agriculture fell from 43% to 32% over eight years. Regular salaried jobs increased to 24%. However, three out of every 10 young workers are still in temporary or casual jobs.
Visakhapatnam performed the best among the 26 districts, with a YouthPOWER score of 55. About 60% of workers in the district have regular salaried jobs, compared to 21% in a typical district.
The report shows that Andhra Pradesh has made progress in school facilities, healthcare and digital access. But creating enough stable jobs for educated youth remains a major challenge, especially for young women.
