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Only 22% of candidates trained under PMKVY secured employment, shows data

Government data show that only 22% of candidates certified under PMKVY 1.0 to 3.0 secured jobs, with placements for SC and ST candidates at about 25%, even as PMKVY 4.0 delinks training from targets

As on December 31, 2025, only 2.4 million or 21.96 per cent were placed out of a total of 11.1 million candidates certified under PMKVY 1.0 to PMKVY 3.0, which were implemented between FY16 and FY23, the ministry said in a written reply. (Representative image)

Auhona Mukherjee New Delhi

2 min read Last Updated : Mar 09 2026 | 7:40 PM IST

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Less than one-fourth of candidates receiving certificates under the Centre’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme secured employment, according to data shared by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

These candidates were placed under the Short-Term Training (STT) component of the scheme that provides short-duration skill training to school/college dropouts and unemployed youth, typically ranging from 150–300 hours, along with assessment, certification, and placement support.

Additionally, out of 1.46 million Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates certified, 374,000 candidates were placed under PMKVY 1.0 to PMKVY 3.0. Similarly, 127,000 Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates were placed out of the 508,000 candidates certified, the data showed. This made the placement ratio for SC and ST candidates 25.68 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

The scheme was launched in 2015 and has been implemented in four stages since then. The latest version of the scheme, PMKVY 4.0, aimed to make the scheme more flexible, inclusive, technology-enabled, and market-driven. However, in the fourth version of the scheme, which was announced in the Budget for FY24, placements have been formally delinked from the scheme, signalling no fixed placement target tied to the training programmes anymore.

As per the Skill Ministry’s guidelines for PMKVY 4.0, this delinking of the scheme from placements was done to “lay emphasis on empowering trained candidates to choose their career path with focus on entrepreneurship and livelihood creation.”