Urging employers to go beyond providing jobs, Dr Sharan Prakash Patil, Minister for Medical Education and Skill Development, stressed the importance of offering fair and dignified pay to job-seekers. Speaking at the ‘Udyoga Utsava 2025’, organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) on Saturday, the minister said that employers must adopt a humanitarian approach when fixing wages so employees can live with dignity.
“Those working in urban centres like Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Mangaluru need more than just survival wages. Without fair pay, many workers are forced to return to their native towns and stay unemployed. Employers must ensure wages that allow a life of dignity,” the minister said.
To address unemployment and create global opportunities for the state’s youth, minister Patil further announced that the government would host a special overseas job fair in the next three months exclusively for nurses and paramedical professionals. The minister announced a mega job fair in Kalaburagi on April 16, followed by similar regional job fairs in Mysuru, Hubballi, and Belagavi.
“The issue is not just unemployment — it is a skill gap. We are working on integrating skill-based education across universities and will also establish multi-skill development centres in Kalaburagi, Koppal, and Mysuru,” Patil said.
Countries such as Germany, Japan, and Italy are seeing a rising demand for Indian healthcare workers, but many health professionals struggle to access these jobs due to language barriers. “To bridge this gap, the government has already announced plans to introduce German, Japanese, and Italian language courses in nursing colleges across Karnataka,” the minister added.
Dr EV Ramana Reddy, Chairperson of the Skill Development Authority and retired Additional Chief Secretary, who was speaking among FKCCI president MG Balakrishna, Chairman of FKCCI’s Skill Development Committee Abhishek BA, and others highlighted that 85% of graduates lack essential skills due to the current focus on formal education. “Job fairs like these help align skill development programs with industry needs. We are now expanding this focus beyond Bengaluru,” he said.