The placement season for the academic year 2023-24 has concluded with more than 7,000 students from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) remaining without job offers. This alarming figure, revealed through RTI applications filed by IIT Kanpur alumnus Dheeraj Singh, underscores the challenges faced by graduates across all 23 IIT campuses to secure employment, reports read.

IIT Delhi has made an urgent appeal to its alumni network to assist in placing current graduates. Approximately 400 students at IIT Delhi are still without job placements. The institute has requested alumni to provide job opportunities, referrals, or internships to help these students. "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," the appeal states.

Similarly, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) and IIT Bombay have also reached out to their alumni for support. BITS initiated contact with alumni two months ago. At IIT Bombay, despite ongoing efforts until the end of June, about 10% of the graduating class, or 250 candidates, have yet to secure placements.

Challenges Due to Economic Factors and Technological Changes

V Ramgopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor of BITS Group, attributed the decline in placements to broader economic and technological factors. "Placements are 20% to 30% lower everywhere. Even if all students are placed, the quality of jobs is not up to the mark," he remarked. Rao also highlighted the impact of ChatGPT and large language models on job markets, stating, "If two people can do the work of three, we are already down by 30% in hiring."

Dheeraj Singh's RTI data illustrates the increasing challenge. "This year, over 7,000 IIT students across all 23 campuses have not been placed via campus placements. Two years ago, this number was half, at 3,400," Singh reported. The number of students participating in placements has increased by 1.2 times, while the number of unplaced students has doubled.

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