The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), India's premier engineering institutions, are facing an unprecedented job placement crisis, with approximately 8,000 (38 per cent) students across 23 campuses remaining unplaced this year.

According to data obtained through Right to Information (RTI) applications filed by IIT Kanpur alumnus Dheeraj Singh, out of 21,500 students who registered for placements in 2024, only 13,410 secured jobs, leaving 38 per cent still searching for employment.

The older nine IITs are particularly affected, with 16,400 students registering for placements this year, of which 6,050 (37%) are yet to find jobs. The newer 14 IITs fare slightly worse, with 2,040 (40%) of 5,100 registered students unplaced.

Dheeraj Singh, a consultant and IIT Kanpur alumnus, shared the data on LinkedIn. "Thirty three per cent of students in IIT Kharagpur did not find jobs via placements last year. Unplaced students are dealing with stress, anxiety, and hopelessness due to poor job placement scenarios," he wrote.

"As per the RTI reply, 600 students were unplaced in IIT Delhi in the last two years," Singh noted.

According to the data: From 2022 to 2024, the number of registered students at the older nine IITs increased by 1.2 times, while the number of unplaced students rose by 2.1 times. In the newer 14 IITs, registered student numbers grew by 1.3 times, but the number of unplaced students surged by 3.8 times.

In a separate statement, BITS Group Vice Chancellor V Ramgopal Rao said that placements have gone down by 20-30 per cent everywhere because of artificial intelligence and language models.

“Everywhere, placements are 20 per cent to 30 per cent lower. If some institute is saying all students have been placed, the quality of jobs leaves much to be desired. This is the first year when ChatGPT and large language models have started showing their impact. If two people can do the work of three people, we are already 30 per cent down in hiring. There has already been a lot of over-hiring and many countries are holding elections this year, so companies are adopting a wait-and-watch policy,” said Rao.

The current job placement scenario at IITs remains a critical issue requiring urgent attention and effective solutions. With six IIT students having died by suicide this year, the need for action is more pressing than ever.