The Delhi Assembly’s ongoing budget session has brought to light troubling statistics regarding the capital's employment initiatives. In a detailed response to questions raised by members of the Assembly, the Directorate of Employment disclosed that between 2019 and 2024, only two job placements were made through the Delhi government's online employment portals. Both appointments occurred in 2024, reflecting a stark failure in the intended function of these platforms. The city had just one employment portal up to 2020 — the onlineemploymentportal.delhi.gov.in, which has been operational since 2009. In July 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and mounting unemployment, the Delhi government launched a second platform called the Rozgar Bazaar portal to provide quick access to employment opportunities. Ironically, despite its ambitious promise, the portal was shut down in 2023 — less than three years after its inception. What’s even more concerning is that two employees remain assigned to maintain this now-defunct portal, raising questions about resource management and operational oversight.
 

No Job Placements Through Portals Between 2019 and 2023

For a period of five years, from 2019 to 2023, the Delhi government’s employment portals failed to facilitate a single job appointment. The original portal, managed by five government employees along with six contracted technical staff, has incurred a financial expenditure of approximately Rs 34 lakh since 2021, despite delivering no employment results. This revelation has drawn criticism for inefficiency and poor return on public investment, especially during a period when joblessness was peaking due to the pandemic. The Rozgar Bazaar portal, launched with fanfare as a digital job market connecting employers and job seekers, did not live up to its promise. The portal’s performance was never formally audited or evaluated for impact before being discontinued. Moreover, the continuation of staffing for a non-operational platform highlights administrative gaps.
 

Job Fairs Made Minimal Impact on the Unemployed Population

In another surprising disclosure, the government revealed that from 2015 to 2024, approximately 4.4 lakh unemployed individuals registered with Delhi’s employment offices. To address this growing number, the government organized 10 job fairs in the last 10 years, but these efforts resulted in only 36,000 candidates being shortlisted — a meagre achievement that doesn’t even benefit 10% of the registered unemployed population. Further data shows that no new employment exchanges have been established in Delhi in the past decade, indicating stagnation in infrastructure development aimed at addressing unemployment. The lack of expansion and modernization in job facilitation mechanisms further compounds the problem.
 

With such limited success from both the digital portals and physical job fairs, concerns are mounting over the effectiveness of Delhi’s employment policy frameworks. The figures shared in the Assembly not only expose administrative shortcomings but also highlight the urgent need for a re-evaluation of how public employment programs are conceptualized and executed in the national capital. The shocking gap between the intended purpose of these platforms and their actual output raises critical questions about accountability, planning, and transparency in public welfare initiatives. As unemployment remains a key concern, especially for youth and informal workers in urban areas, Delhi’s employment support systems may need a complete overhaul rather than piecemeal adjustments. This revelation from the budget session adds to the growing demand for data-driven policy interventions, more responsive governance, and a shift toward practical, outcome-based strategies in public employment schemes.