Grand Tamasha

For more than three decades, India’s growth story has rested on the promise of a large and youthful workforce—but whether that promise is being realized remains an open question. A new report published by the Centre for Sustainable Employment at Azim Premji University—State of Working India 2026—takes a comprehensive look at how young Indians move from education into the labor market—and asks whether India is successfully converting its demographic dividend into an economic one. The report documents a striking paradox: even as educational attainment has expanded dramatically, the transition to stable, gainful employment remains uncertain—with high graduate unemployment, limited job creation outside agriculture, and persistent gaps between aspirations and opportunities. To discuss the report, this week on the show Milan speaks with the report’s lead author Rosa Abraham, who heads theCentre for Sustainable Employment at Azim Premji University. Her research focuses on informal work and women’s employment, with a