Over 7,000 students from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) remain unplaced by the end of the placement season for the academic year 2023-24.
Institution Reached Out To Alumni To Aid In Placement Efforts
The figures came to light in response to a RTI application filed by IIT Kanpur alumnus Dheeraj Singh.
These findings are mainly focused on highlighting the growing struggle for graduates across all 23 IIT campuses to secure employment, as per a recent media report.
In the current situation, IIT Delhi has reached out to its alumni network to get some help in placing the current batch of graduates.
It appears that approximately 400 students at IIT Delhi are still jobless.
To resolve this situation, the institution has requested alumni to offer jobs, provide referrals, or extend internship opportunities to assist these students.
Saying, “On behalf of the Office of Career Services (OCS) at IIT-Delhi, we appeal to you to consider extending a helping hand to our students.”
Following the lead, other IIT institutions such as the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) and IIT Bombay have also approached their alumni for support.
Earlier, The Birla Institute of Technology and Science initiated contact with its alumni around two months ago.
With all these efforts, about 10% of the graduating class or 250 candidates from IIT Bombay are yet to secure placements until the end of June.
Why Would This Happen?
The decline in placements to broader economic and technological factors, as highlighted by V Ramgopal Rao, BITS group vice-chancellor.
Noting, “Everywhere, placements are 20% to 30% lower. If some institute is saying all students have been placed, the quality of jobs leaves much to be desired.”
Further Rao remarks on the impact of ChatGPT and large language models on job markets, adding, “If two people can do the work of three people, we are already 30% down in hiring.”
Besides this, Dheeraj Singh’s RTI data also underscores the increasing challenges.
Adding, “Over 7,000 IIT students are yet to be placed via campus placement this year across all the 23 IITs. Two years ago, this unplaced number was half at 3,400.”
Interestingly, the number of students participating in placements has risen by 1.2 times.
In similar manners, the number of unplaced students has doubled.
