In ‘Young’ Bihar, Race for Elusive Government Jobs Spotlight Unemployment Crisis
Patna/Barh: Inside the narrow, congested lanes and bylanes of Patna’s Musallahpur rows of shops are lined selling books on competitive exams, hoardings atop old buildings advertise coaching centres to crack government recruitment exams, and countless coaching centres promise to provide the ticket to securing a government job. Some coaching centres like Khan Global Studies have multiple halls and buildings drawing in hundreds of students every day, many of whom arrive hours early just to get a seat in the class.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have claimed that cheap internet data provided by his government is allowing Bihar’s youth to make reels and earn good money, the race to secure employment is evidenced in these coaching centre hubs where hundreds of students from across the state converge to live and study in these narrow bylanes, often for years to secure elusive government jobs.
The NDA has made jobs its priority by promising 1 crore jobs which will include government jobs. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta
“There are no means of earning a livelihood in Bihar except farming. There are no jobs, no industries, no factories. Government jobs give security, permanence,” said Dev Kumar, who came to Patna in 2022 from Begusarai to prepare for the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) examination. Dev Kumar has already made two attempts but did not clear the exam.
Dev Kumar is among lakhs of students appearing for these exams every year. Last December a total of 4.83 lakh candidates had applied for the 70th BPSC exam, of which 3.25 lakh candidates appeared. The importance of a government job to Bihar’s youth is not lost on the political parties. The manifestos of both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Mahagathbandhan for the 2025 Bihar assembly elections begin with promises of providing government jobs. The NDA has promised to provide 1 crore jobs including those in the government, while the Mahagathbandhan has said every family in the state will have one.
With both alliances wooing young voters with the promise of government jobs, voters stand divided. Rows of coaching centres in Musallahpur, one of the coaching centre hubs in Patna. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta
Guddu Kumar, a resident of Jamui has been in Patna since 2019. He has appeared for the BPSC exam twice, cleared the preliminary round but not gone past the mains.
“The only issue in this election is that of naukri aur rozgar (jobs and employment),” he said.
Bihar has one of the highest youth populations in the country, but its participation in the labour force remains low. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) April-June 2025 quarterly report, showed that the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) according to current weekly status for Bihar in the 15-29 age group was the lowest at 33.9% against 42% nationwide. The Hindu has reported that in 2023–24, manufacturing accounted for only about 6% of total employment in Bihar, while the services sector contributed around 25%.
While this has pushed the youth towards seeking government jobs, repeated instances of paper leaks have caused delays in examinations being conducted.
Guddu Kumar was one of the many students who protested in December against the Nitish Kumar government after rumours of a paper leak during the 70th BPSC exam’s preliminary round. Protesting students were faced with police lathi charge, with many candidates sustaining injuries.
“What happened to probing whether there was a paper leak? The case went to the Supreme Court but it was dismissed. There is no option but to keep trying for government exams. At least there will be stability in life, it is far better than earning Rs 10,000-12,000 working on a farm or as a labourer,” he said.
But repeated attempts at cracking these exams come at a cost for many, who come from poor families.
“About Rs 5,000 is spent a month including rent and living expenses. We get rice and pulses from home, and cook food ourselves in our rooms. The expenses are high for our families who are farmers but have to keep sending us money so we can prepare for the exams,” said Guddu Kumar.
With Gandhi Maidan shut due to elections, Bihar Police job aspirants train on the banks of the Ganga behind NIT in Patna. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta
Away from Musallahpur, on the banks of the river Ganga, located behind the National Institute of Technology (NIT), scores of students are training well into the evening for the upcoming physical test for the Bihar Police recruitment exam next month. While these students usually train at Gandhi Maidan, the grounds have been closed down due to the upcoming elections. Undeterred students gather on these ghats to train for about five-six hours every morning and evening.
“Unemployment is the biggest issue in this election. While we wait for vacancies to come for months and sometimes years, just before the elections these vacancies start coming out faster. But this should happen throughout the year and not just before elections. Iss bar badlav hona chahie (there is a need for change of government this time),” said Baby Kumari Paswan, a resident of Patna district.
Tejashwi Yadav is looking to ride on his 2022 record to assure voters that his promise of one government job to every family will be fulfilled. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) poster in Patna calling for change. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta
The promise of employment generation and out migration due to lack of jobs in the state is not new. A credit war has erupted between Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and chief minister Nitish Kumar over five lakh government jobs when the two were in alliance between 2022-2024.
Months ahead of the assembly elections, Nitish Kumar in February handed recruitment letters to 6,837 newly appointed junior engineers and instructors after promising last year in August that he would provide 12 lakh jobs, of which the government said 9.13 lakhs had been provided. While Tejashwi is looking to ride on his 2022 record to assure voters that his promise of one government job to every family will be fulfilled, the NDA too has made jobs its priority by promising 1 crore jobs which will include government jobs.
Notably, around 3.78 crore of the 7.43 crore voters in Bihar are between 20 and 40 years, accounting for 51% of voters, The Economic Times reported. With both alliances wooing young voters with the promise of government jobs, voters stand divided.
Vijendra Kumar appeared for various government recruitment exams including BPSC, SSC and the railways but remained unsuccessful. He now runs a shop selling prayer ware in Barh. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta
“Just because he is promising every family a government job doesn’t mean it’s realistically possible,” said Vijendra Kumar in Barh, located in the outskirts of Patna district. Vijendra Kumar added that he had appeared for various government recruitment exams including BPSC, SSC and the railways but remained unsuccessful. He now runs a shop selling prayer ware in Barh.
“If I have only one bottle of water but I promise to give 3, will this single bottle multiply into three? The BJP had also made many promises about giving 2 crore jobs in one year but none of that was done. But I would say the NDA government has at least done 45% of the work that was promised,” he said.
The 2023 Bihar caste survey identified 2.97 crore families, of which, only 1.57% (20,49,370) were government employees. This implies that Tejashwi would have to provide at least 2.55 lakh more government jobs, raising questions about the feasibility of his promise.
“We have seen enough of the BJP’s promises, now we want to give Tejashwi Yadav a chance. It is not that we are RJD supporters, but at least he has made employment and jobs an election issue,” said Guddu Kumar.
This article went live on November fifth, two thousand twenty five, at sixteen minutes past five in the evening.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
