Kerala recorded a 78.26 per cent turnout in the elections that concluded on April 9, signalling a strong public mandate that could reinforce the key concerns of the poll narrative — unemployment, mounting debt and sluggish development.
The winner will inherit a treasury creaking under heavy borrowings to run the State, including meeting social welfare liabilities, with the 2026-27 Budget setting aside ₹14,500 crore for 60 lakh beneficiaries. Additionally, the off-budget borrowings by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) stand at ₹32,942.14 crore for 2023-24.
welfare politics
Will this election usher in a new phase of governance that champions upward mobility in a State long anchored in welfare politics? While fierce loyalists are happy to reward the government for providing them with a social security safety net, there are new voices that argue the government must prioritise development-driven job creation with competitive salaries for long-term economic sustenance.
Muhamad Padinharethil, 48, said his elderly parents have been benefiting from a social welfare system that has “remained steady and reliable”. Rema Sadanand, 57, from Kunnamkulam has no complaints. “The roads are good, and the government has delivered on its housing promise, besides giving pensions that cover all the vulnerable sections of the society,” she says.
However, 63-year-old Sumathi TM, a retired cooperative bank officer, now an accountant with a jewellery establishment, from Kanipayyur in Thrissur, argues that indiscriminate pension payouts risk dependence and laziness. The distant rumble of the unemployed is now drawing closer. Unemployment rate among Kerala’s youth (aged 15-29) stands at 29.9 per cent.
Aishwarya Lakshmi Indrapalan, from Vadukara, backs welfare schemes as long it supports the deserving. “Jobs and decent salaries are as important as pensions. Here, it is lopsided,” said the 26-year-old. Many observed that unemployment in Kerala is largely wage-driven. Omana Suresh, 54, from Ettumanoor, said jobs matching people’s skills and pay expectations are scarce, and for years Malayalees have been leaving the State in droves for jobs, creating a social conditioning that has turned the Gulf into a second home.
Most youngsters prefer to work in their State if salaries are competitive and the government demonstrates a stronger commitment to job creation. Athulya Ajayan K, 26, is building her career in Bengaluru, after completing a masters in electronics. “I will be happy to work in my State for even a lesser pay if the career growth was promising.”
Sijin K Babu, 27, from Ponnath, Thrissur, agrees with her. He has a master’s degree in business management and a diploma in international accounting, and says he will follow in the footsteps of his engineer brother, Sibin, in Dubai, for better prospects.
Youngsters vociferously argue that poor pay is a red flag for professionals, and are increasingly opting for allied services related to their field that offer better remuneration.
Athira Suresh, a dentist in Kottayam, says: “My dentist friends are forced to work in the West as hygienists (oral health professionals), but for a far better pay to repay hefty study loans.” Despite Kerala’s enviable literacy rate, there’s a wide gap between education and skill sets, with the educated workforce either landing limited government jobs or leaving the State seeking white-collar employment.
Fifty-two-year-old Ajoy Ghosh, a former panchayat member, echoes the sentiments of his younger compatriots. “Education must integrate technical skills and career-oriented programmes to fight unemployment. Dedicated skill-training institutes must take graduates under their wing to create a more job-ready workforce in the State.”
braving the odds
The aspirational youth are braving geopolitical risks to build a future overseas. Many are breaking the migration pattern and travelling to the West, seeking permanent residence. Anjana Anilkumar, 26, a civil engineer from Thrissur, is pursuing further studies in Ireland. “If a good job requires relocation, we must not hesitate to take up that challenge.” Athira M, a 26-year-old certified management accountant from Thrissur, who works in Qatar, says: “Low salary in the State is pushing youngsters to explore new horizons.”
Sijin’s friend from Kozhikode, S Menon, a mechatronics engineer with a post-graduate diploma in industrial automation from Bengaluru, and a NEBOSH UK certificate, has his sights set on Germany. “I am learning German, and will leave the country within a year.” The mandate, hopefully, will be shaped at the intersection of social security and rising aspirations. May 4 has all the answers
Published on April 10, 2026