Kerala Jobs Challenge: Medical Devices, AI and Tourism Seen as Key Employment Sectors
Kerala is looking beyond traditional industries to tackle unemployment, with AI, medical devices, space, tourism and creative sectors emerging as potential job creators.
Kerala is looking beyond traditional industries to address its unemployment challenge, with emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, medical devices, space, aviation, high-value tourism, sports and the creative economy being identified as potential job generators.
According to Kerala State Planning Board Vice-Chairperson KM Chandrasekhar, the state's unemployment rate stands at 29.8%, compared with 12.5% nationally. The state aims to halve its unemployment rate over the next five years, he said.
The medical devices sector already has around 110 units in Kerala, while startups and small industries are also expanding. The state has introduced initiatives such as the SERAL scheme and the Invest Kerala single-window system to make it easier for businesses to establish operations.
The focus on newer industries reflects Kerala's attempt to diversify its employment base. From AI and space technology to tourism and the creative economy, the strategy is to identify sectors capable of generating higher-value jobs.
Of course, creating jobs isn't exactly a “launch app and done” situation. It will require investment, infrastructure, skilled workers and coordination across different parts of the economy.
The state believes sustained efforts across these sectors can help bring down unemployment while strengthening Kerala's broader economic growth.
