Milpitas(California)“If a father cannot feed his own children, society will naturally ask whether he is fulfilling the basic responsibility of fatherhood. In the same way, if a government cannot provide meaningful employment opportunities and livelihood security to its unemployed youth and their families, it must be prepared to answer a much bigger question: what is the purpose of that government?”
Satnam Singh Chahal, Executive Director of the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), said the growing frustration among unemployed youth and their families in Punjab cannot be dismissed as merely a political protest. For a young person who has spent years studying, preparing for competitive examinations and waiting for recruitment, unemployment is not simply a statistic—it affects the entire family.
“A government may announce thousands of jobs, hold appointment-letter ceremonies and claim that recruitment is transparent. But the real test of governance is whether an ordinary unemployed young person can see a realistic path to employment and a dignified future,” Chahal said. The Punjab government has publicly claimed that more than 68,000 government jobs have been provided during its tenure, while also urging young people living abroad to return to Punjab.
Chahal said such claims must be measured against the lived reality of thousands of applicants who remain unemployed, recruitment processes that face disputes, delayed examinations, court cases and families that continue to struggle financially.
“Punjab’s unemployed youth are not asking for charity. They are asking for opportunity, fairness and a recruitment system they can trust. Their families have invested their savings, their parents have sacrificed their own needs, and many young people have spent the most productive years of their lives preparing for government examinations,” he said.
He added that the government’s responsibility does not end with announcing vacancies. “A government must ensure that vacancies are identified and advertised on time, examinations are conducted fairly, results are declared without unnecessary delay, appointments are made transparently and legitimate grievances are addressed promptly.”
Chahal said that when young people repeatedly have to take to the streets to demand employment, the issue becomes a serious test of governance. “If educated youth are forced to protest for years for the right to earn a livelihood, while their parents struggle to support them, the government cannot simply respond with slogans. It must respond with action.”
He also questioned the contradiction between asking Punjabi youth abroad to return and the continuing anxiety among unemployed young people at home. The Chief Minister has publicly appealed to youth working abroad to return to Punjab, promising regular employment opportunities.
“First create an environment in which a young person can believe that his or her future is secure in Punjab. Then ask them to return. Youth do not leave their homeland simply because they dislike Punjab; many leave because they cannot see economic security, stable employment and a predictable future here,” Chahal said.
He stressed that the issue is bigger than any individual political party. “Governments come and go, but the unemployed youth remain. Political promises cannot become a substitute for jobs. Appointment ceremonies cannot become a substitute for a functioning employment system. And statistics cannot erase the pain of a family that does not know how it will pay its next bill.”
Chahal said the Punjab government should immediately prepare a comprehensive White Paper on Employment, detailing the number of vacant posts in every department, recruitment undertaken, examinations pending, cases under litigation, recruitment cancellations, waiting lists and the expected timeline for filling every legitimate vacancy.
“If a government cannot provide employment, cannot protect the dignity of its unemployed citizens and cannot give families confidence about their children’s future, then it must have the moral courage to accept responsibility. And if it has failed comprehensively, it should resign and give the people an opportunity to choose a government that can deliver,” Chahal said.
“Punjab does not need more promises. Punjab needs jobs, justice, transparency and accountability. The future of an entire generation cannot be kept waiting outside government offices and recruitment centres.”