Arenjungla Kichu Mokokchung | 17 September
The competition for government jobs in Nagaland is not simply a race for a secure salary, according to Chijanbemo Ezung, a research scholar in Sociology at the National Institute of Technology Nagaland. Ezung described the problem as “very multilayered”, with unemployment, lack of jobs, culture and politics all playing a role.
He also pointed to what he described as “reciprocal politics” and “unaccounted appointments” as possible structural problems.
“It shouldn’t be so limited that people have to be forced to compete for 11 posts with these many applicants,” he said, adding that he believed policymakers should consider a revamp of the appointment system and the creation of more jobs and opportunities.
“I don’t like to discourage people looking or aiming for government jobs, especially from the lower or middle section of society,” he said.
“Government job is one of the few ways that somebody from a humble background can salvage himself and his family.”
Ezung argues that the appeal of government employment in Nagaland goes beyond its economic benefits.
“Ours is a very enclosed society. We live in a community, and everything we do is attached to the community,” he said.
Even though he grew up in Dimapur, he said he remained attached to his village and community, making community recognition an important part of social life.
“That sense of community recognition becomes very important for us,” he said. “The sense of honour the community gives us becomes important.”
Security, he said, remains an important factor but he said, “To my mind, that sense of approval, social approval, ranks at the top”.
Family expectations also reinforce the preference.
Ezung also views the government-job race through the lens of class. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of social, economic and cultural capital, he argued that people do not enter the competition for opportunities from an equal starting point.
Social capital, he explained, refers to the privileges that can come from one’s social position, while economic and cultural capital can also influence a person’s chances of getting into a good position.
“If you have strong social capital, strong cultural capital or strong economic capital, your opportunity or your chance of getting into a good position is higher,” he said.
“So there is no level playing field. Everybody does not get the same chance.”
For those without such advantages, Ezung said, competitive examinations can become one of the main routes to employment, requiring them to spend years preparing.
“People who don’t have that social capital have to either sit in a room and spend years preparing for exams,” he said, describing the frustration and pressure involved.
He said this is particularly significant for lower-middle-class families, where securing a government position can be tied to the aspiration of improving the circumstances of the entire family.
“It’s an aspiration – not just for himself, but an aspiration to give a good life to his family,” he said.
Ezung said he himself prepared for government examinations from 2017 to 2021, with his last examination in 2021.
“Nothing happened,” he said, describing that period as difficult before eventually realising that government jobs were not for him.
He said some people continue preparing until the end, while some make it and some do not.
He described the consequences for those who repeatedly prepare without securing employment as “some kind of mass trauma”.
He said young people can become perpetually disappointed and face mental-health consequences from the prolonged process.
Ezung also said he sees young people becoming angry and believes joblessness is one of the reasons, while acknowledging that there are other reasons as well.
Ezung said he would not agree with the narrative that government jobs are saturated.
“I will never agree with the narrative that government jobs are saturated,” he said.
He said some departments are understaffed while some are overstaffed, and also raised questions about whether some people in overstaffed areas are qualified.
Ezung said the government has a responsibility to provide jobs and opportunities, as well as healthcare and education.
He was critical of privatisation and what he described as capitalism and crony capitalism, arguing that the government should create jobs and opportunities.
On the government’s limited financial capacity, Ezung used a kitchen analogy: if someone cannot manage the kitchen, the family does not eat. In the same way, he said, if the government cannot manage its responsibilities, it should not be running the government.
He acknowledged that Nagaland depends on the Centre and may be compelled to do so because of its circumstances, but questioned the state’s proactive role in addressing its finances.
Ezung said skills are important and stressed that he is not against skills development.
But he questioned how accessible entrepreneurship is to people from poorer backgrounds.
He described Nagaland as a class society and spoke about the emergence of a new class with the formation of the state, particularly government employees and the state machinery.
He said government jobs became highly valued and government servants came to be treated with respect, while farmers and others remained outside that system.
Now, he said, ordinary citizens have greater access to education and are trying to enter spaces that were previously less accessible to them.
At the same time, he questioned the emphasis on entrepreneurship, asking how many successful entrepreneurs come from very poor families.
He said many successful people already have generational wealth, land or houses in Dimapur, while entrepreneurship is being presented as an option for young people.
“I would still vouch that the responsibility of government is to create jobs and provide jobs for everyone and not jobs under businessmen holding generational wealth,” he said.
‘Sociology is very good at identifying problems’
Ezung acknowledged that identifying problems is easier than providing solutions.
“One thing about sociology is that sociology is not good in giving solutions. [It is] very good in identifying problems,” he said.
He argued that good governance and new leadership with fresh visions were needed including leaders emerging from the grassroots rather than only from established elites.