In a striking display of Odisha’s deepening employment crisis, hundreds of overqualified candidates, including B.Tech, MBA, MCA, and diploma holders, lined up before dawn in Rourkela on Friday to participate in the Home Guard physical test—a job that only requires a Class 5 qualification.
The physical test, held at the Rourkela Reserve Ground, saw nearly 700 aspirants, both men and women, vying for just 107 vacant posts in the Rourkela Police District. These candidates had earlier cleared the written exam held on June 9.
Despite the job offering a daily wage of ₹612, the sheer number of highly educated applicants underscores the acute lack of suitable employment opportunities in the region. Some aspirants who spoke to reporters expressed frustration, saying that despite holding professional degrees, they had no option but to pursue even the lowest-grade government posts to ensure some form of economic stability.
With over 9,000 applicants competing for the limited posts, the recruitment drive highlights the underemployment of qualified youth in Odisha and signals an urgent need for job creation policies and skill-aligned employment opportunities.
This scene from Rourkela paints a sobering picture of the employment landscape—where aspirations collide with scarcity, and qualifications often do not guarantee opportunities.
