According to a recent report by Unstop, 83% of engineering students and nearly half of MBA students graduated in 2024 without any job or internship offers. This staggering statistic highlights a growing employability crisis among fresh graduates in India’s most sought-after academic streams.
Unpaid Internships On the Rise
The study also noted a sharp rise in unpaid internships. In 2024, 1 in 4 students undertook unpaid internships, compared to just 1 in 8 the previous year. This suggests students are increasingly willing to work without pay just to gain industry experience and boost their resumes.
Survey Covered 30,000 Gen Z Graduates
The findings are based on a comprehensive survey involving 30,000 Gen Z professionals and 700 HR leaders, making it one of the most extensive talent-focused surveys this year. The report was officially released during Unstop’s annual Talent Meet in Bangalore, drawing attention from both academia and industry leaders.
Pay Parity Better in Tech and Services
One hopeful takeaway from the report is the improvement in gender pay parity among engineering and MBA graduates. While arts graduates still face minimal disparities, engineering and MBA professionals are seeing better compensation equity — largely due to active diversity hiring in IT and services sectors.
Urgent Need for Industry-Academia Alignment
The findings point toward a disconnect between academic training and industry demands. Experts at the Talent Meet emphasized the need for skill-based hiring, hands-on training, and collaboration between educational institutions and companies to bridge this widening gap in employability.
