The Government of Punjab has stated that employment generation and youth skill development remain key priorities, with thousands of jobs and training opportunities provided in recent years.
According to official data, 63,943 candidates have been recruited in various government departments in Punjab since 2022.
During the financial year 2025–26, the state organized more than 1,356 placement camps and job fairs, through which over 70,000 candidates received job facilitation support.
In addition, the government held 261 self-employment camps, helping more than 15,000 candidates access loans to start their own businesses.
Career counselling and vocational guidance were also provided to over 2.95 lakh candidates across the state.
Under the Punjab Skill Development Mission, thousands of youth have been trained in service and manufacturing sector skills, with placements currently underway.
In January 2026, the state also organized a Defense Skills Summit 2026 to align skill training programmes with the needs of the defence and strategic industries. The summit resulted in partnerships with several industrial bodies.
Training institutes in the state are also preparing youth for recruitment into the armed forces.
Centres run by Centre for Training and Employment of Punjab Youth (C-PYTE) continue to prepare candidates for the armed forces, while the state’s Armed Forces Preparatory Institutes have seen candidates successfully commissioned as officers, including increasing participation from girl cadets.
A new institute, the Sardar Bahadur Amin Chand Soni Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, located in Bajwara in Hoshiarpur, is nearing completion. The institute is expected to start training in FY 2026–27 and will provide preparation for defence entrance examinations and Services Selection Board (SSB) interviews.
For these initiatives related to employment generation and youth training, the Punjab government has proposed a budget allocation of ₹287 crore for FY 2026–27.
