India, Jan. 24 -- An economic contraction unleashed by the Covid pandemic has negatively impacted the employment and job situation in India. Job opportunities continued to shrink last year with employment contracting by 2.8% in the October-December quarter, according to estimates by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

Even as many salaried employees lost jobs, youth entering the job market have been finding it hard to start a career. Back in May last year at the peak of the pandemic, a survey by British research firm Crosby Textor (CT) found that a whopping 86 per cent of Indians surveyed expressed worry about losing their livelihoods.

For youth who are anxious about their career prospects, it is important to realize that w...