In Madhya Pradesh, over 25.68 lakh people are currently registered as job seekers for government jobs, including more than 86,000 engineers, over 4,800 MBBS doctors, and nearly 18,800 MBAs, according to official data shared in the state Vidhan Sabha during the recent monsoon session.
The information was provided by Gautam Tetwal, the Minister of State for Skill Development and Employment, in response to a question from senior Congress MLA and former home minister Bala Bachchan. Bachchan had asked for details on the number of job seekers across different education levels, from class 10 pass-outs to highly qualified professionals.
Tetwal said that as of June 30, 2025, graduates formed the largest group of job seekers with 8.3 lakh registrations on the MP Rojgar Portal, followed by 6.22 lakh Class 12 pass-outs and 2.38 lakh postgraduates. The data also showed that 10.46 lakh of the job seekers belong to the OBC category, 6.34 lakh to the general category, 4.69 lakh to the Scheduled Castes, and 4.18 lakh to the Scheduled Tribes.
He explained that the highest number of registrations was in 2023 with 33.13 lakh, but this fell to 25.68 lakh so far in 2025. The minister pointed out that many of those registered are already employed but are looking for better opportunities. Because of this, the government now refers to them as “aspirational” rather than unemployed.
The data also revealed that Madhya Pradesh has seen the closure of 80 private engineering colleges and 46 private polytechnics over the past ten years, possibly due to declining interest in engineering courses among young people.
Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta commented on the numbers, saying, “These figures show the grim state of development in the state.” He also questioned why the number of registered job seekers dropped from 33.13 lakh in 2023 to 25.68 lakh in 2025 despite more than 62 lakh registrations between 2018 and 2025.
The placement record showed some highs and lows, with 1.76 lakh job offers made in 2018-19, 1.21 lakh in 2021-22, but only 78,800 in 2024-25. The lowest was just over 4,000 in 2019-20.
