By Asif Wangnoo
For generations, a government job in Kashmir has meant far more than a monthly salary. It has offered security in an uncertain economy, social respect and a sense of stability that families could depend on. For many young people, preparing for a competitive examination has become a familiar path towards a better life.
There is nothing wrong with that aspiration. In a place where private employment opportunities have often been limited, the preference for government service is understandable.
But Kashmir needs to confront an uncomfortable question: can an economy sustain the expectations of an entire generation if so many young people continue to look to the government as their principal source of employment?
The answer lies not in discouraging young people from pursuing government jobs, but in building an economy where they have other choices—realistic, rewarding choices that allow them to earn a living, develop their skills and build something of their own.
The problem is not the aspiration. It is the lack of alternatives.
The latest Jammu and Kashmir Economic Survey offers a useful starting point. It estimates that the services sector contributes about 61 per cent of the Union Territory’s gross value added, while the primary sector continues to account for around 43 per cent of employment. Tourism, meanwhile, supports an estimated five lakh direct and indirect livelihoods.
These figures point to an economy with considerable potential beyond government employment. Yet the question remains whether our institutions, investment priorities and approach to education are doing enough to unlock it.
Consider a young person in Srinagar or Kupwara who spends years preparing for recruitment examinations. Imagine if that same person could choose between a government career and a job in a technology firm, a well-run tourism enterprise, an agricultural processing unit or a business serving customers across the world.
That would not make government employment any less valuable. It would simply mean that a young person’s future no longer depended on a single examination or a limited number of vacancies.
That is the kind of change Kashmir needs.
Tourism must create livelihoods beyond the peak season
Tourism is often presented as one of Kashmir’s greatest economic strengths, and rightly so. But counting visitors alone does not tell us how much the local economy actually gains from them.
The more important questions are how long visitors stay, how much they spend locally and how widely that income reaches ordinary people.
The Economic Survey records 2.36 crore tourist visits in 2024 and 1.78 crore in 2025. These figures underline the scale of tourism activity, but they also invite a closer look at the quality and distribution of the livelihoods it creates.
A visitor should mean business not just for a hotel or houseboat, but also for taxi operators, local guides, restaurants, photographers, artisans, farmers, pony owners and small businesses in villages that rarely feature in mainstream tourism itineraries.
This requires a shift from treating tourism largely as a seasonal activity to developing it as a year-round industry. Rural tourism, heritage walks, adventure activities, local food experiences and wellness retreats can create opportunities in places that have so far remained outside the main tourism circuit.
However, expansion must come with responsibility. Kashmir’s natural beauty is not merely a backdrop for tourism; it is the very asset on which the industry depends.
Polluted lakes, damaged forests, unmanaged waste and unplanned construction will eventually undermine the same appeal that draws visitors to the Valley. Development that compromises the environment may generate short-term returns, but it risks destroying the foundation of a much larger and more sustainable economy.
Our orchards should create more value at home
Horticulture is another area where Kashmir has considerable room to grow. Apples, walnuts, saffron, cherries and other local products have established markets, but producing a good crop is only one part of the economic chain.
Much of the greater value can be created after harvesting—in grading, packaging, storage, processing, branding and marketing.
A Kashmiri apple should not be valued only for the fruit that leaves an orchard. It should also be recognised as a potential premium product with a strong regional identity and a place in national and international markets.
The same applies to walnuts, saffron and other agricultural products. Better cold-storage facilities, modern processing units, reliable logistics and stronger marketing networks could help farmers reduce post-harvest losses and capture a larger share of the final price.
This is where entrepreneurship and agriculture must come together. Young people need not see farming as an occupation confined to their parents’ generation. With technology, professional management and access to markets, horticulture can support businesses in food processing, logistics, packaging and exports.
If Kashmir is doing the growing, it should also be able to capture more of the value created from what it grows.
Handicrafts need markets, not just praise
Kashmir’s handicrafts are frequently celebrated as a symbol of its cultural heritage. Yet appreciation alone cannot guarantee the future of an artisan or persuade a young person to enter the trade.
Craftsmanship must provide a sustainable income if it is to survive.
Artisans need access to buyers, transparent pricing, modern product design and dependable ways to sell beyond traditional markets. Digital platforms can help, but only when supported by professional photography, authentic product descriptions, quality assurance, secure payments and efficient delivery.
A carpet woven in Kashmir should have a fair chance of reaching a customer in London or Dubai without losing much of its value to a long chain of intermediaries.
There is also room for young designers and entrepreneurs to bring Kashmiri craftsmanship into contemporary homes and markets without stripping it of its identity.
Preserving tradition should not mean freezing it in time. It should mean giving traditional skills the commercial strength to survive in a changing world.
A laptop can open doors that geography once closed
Not every industry requires a factory, a large plot of land or a physical supply chain. This is one of the opportunities Kashmir’s young people should be encouraged to explore.
Software development, graphic design, animation, digital marketing, research, data services and other forms of professional work can connect skilled workers in Kashmir with employers and clients elsewhere in India and abroad.
A young person working from Srinagar should, in principle, be able to serve a company in Bengaluru, London or Singapore without having to relocate simply to access a decent professional opportunity.
But this possibility will remain out of reach for many unless the foundations are in place. Reliable internet connectivity, practical training, English and communication skills, access to digital tools and exposure to real projects are essential.
Skill development programmes must therefore go beyond preparing candidates for existing vacancies. They should help young people acquire skills that businesses actually need and give them opportunities to demonstrate those skills.
A certificate is useful, but the ability to do the work, meet professional standards and earn a client’s trust is what ultimately creates employment.
Private investment must become a partner in development
The government has an indispensable role in building roads, improving electricity supply, strengthening education and healthcare, maintaining public infrastructure and creating a predictable regulatory environment. These are responsibilities that cannot be left to the market alone.
But government cannot be the employer, investor and entrepreneur for an entire economy.
Responsible private investment can bring capital, technology, professional expertise and access to wider markets. According to the J&K Economic Survey’s 2024–25 assessment, 1,984 industrial units had been operationalised, involving investment of around ₹9,606 crore and employment for more than 63,000 people during the period covered by the assessment.
These figures provide a basis for examining what has worked, which sectors have benefited and how the gains can be extended to more parts of the economy.
The next challenge is to make it easier for viable businesses to start, operate and expand. Small enterprises need access to affordable credit, simpler procedures, reliable infrastructure and timely payments. Entrepreneurs also need clearer information about government schemes and practical support in navigating them.
Investment, however, cannot be measured by the money committed alone. The more important test is whether it creates lasting local employment, develops local suppliers, transfers skills and benefits surrounding communities.
Kashmir needs investment that works with its economic strengths and environmental limits, not investment that treats either as an obstacle.
We need to broaden the political conversation
Economic debate in Kashmir often returns to two familiar questions: how many government jobs are available, and when will the next recruitment process begin?
These are important concerns, particularly for families whose children have spent years preparing for examinations. Recruitment must be transparent, vacancies should be filled in a timely manner and public employment must remain a fair and accessible route for qualified candidates.
But these questions cannot constitute the entire economic agenda.
We should also be asking how many new businesses are being established, how much agricultural produce is being processed locally, how many artisans are reaching new markets and how many young people are finding skilled work in the private sector.
Are tourism earnings reaching villages beyond the established destinations? Are local products building recognisable brands? Are young entrepreneurs able to secure finance? Are businesses creating jobs that offer reasonable wages, security and prospects for growth?
These are not questions that government employment can answer on its own. They require a broader development strategy, one that brings together public institutions, private businesses, educational establishments, farmers, artisans and young entrepreneurs.
They also require a change in how success is measured. The number of recruitment notifications matters, but so does the number of sustainable enterprises created. Public investment matters, but so does the productive activity it generates. Training matters, but so does whether that training leads to work.
Building a Kashmir with more choices
None of this should be mistaken for an argument that young people ought to abandon government jobs or that entrepreneurship can solve unemployment overnight. Starting a business involves risk, and not everyone has the capital, connections or appetite to become an entrepreneur. Private employment, too, must offer fair wages, decent working conditions and a measure of security.
The responsibility is therefore not simply to tell young people to think differently. It is to create the conditions in which different choices become possible.
That means better access to finance, stronger institutions, market-oriented education, reliable infrastructure and policies that give businesses the confidence to invest for the long term. It also means recognising that economic opportunities must reach beyond Srinagar and the better-connected parts of the Valley.
A young person in Kupwara, Karnah, Lolab or a remote village should not have to leave home merely to find work that matches their abilities. Nor should a farmer, artisan or small business owner have to depend on a government scheme to make a viable livelihood possible.
Kashmir should be a place where a young person can pursue a government career, build a tourism enterprise, modernise a family orchard, develop a handicraft brand or work for an international company from home. These paths need not compete with one another. Together, they can make the economy more resilient.
For too long, the government job has stood at the centre of Kashmir’s idea of economic security. There are good reasons for that history, and changing it will take time. But the aspirations of a new generation deserve an economy that offers more than one dependable route to a livelihood.
The task ahead is not to reduce the importance of government employment. It is to reduce the extent to which a young person’s future depends on securing it.
Kashmir needs more than vacancies. It needs viable businesses, productive farms, thriving local industries, responsible investment and young people equipped to compete in a changing economy.
The real measure of progress will be a day when a government job remains a respected career choice, but no longer feels like the only safe one.
Kashmir’s future will depend not only on what the government can provide, but also on what its people are enabled to build.
