At a time when India’s economic trajectory is under intense scrutiny, a new book by economists Santosh Mehrotra and Jajati K. Parida delivers a sobering message: the country is running out of time to turn its demographic advantage into lasting prosperity.

India Out of Work: Rethinking India’s Growth Story argues that with barely fifteen years left in its demographic dividend phase, India risks growing old before it grows rich. The book presents a sharp diagnosis of the country’s employment crisis, where millions remain unemployed, underemployed, or stuck in low-quality, insecure work.

Moving beyond headline growth figures, Mehrotra and Parida examine the structural weaknesses beneath India’s economic story. They point to a pattern of “jobless growth,” where economic expansion has failed to generate sufficient employment, especially in non-agricultural sectors. The authors contend that for India to secure a prosperous future, it must sustain annual growth of around 9 per cent and create an estimated 350 million non-farm jobs by 2055.

The book spans a wide terrain—from rural distress and stagnant wages to the fragile underpinnings of the so-called “new economy.” It highlights deepening inequality and the persistently low participation of women in the workforce, presenting these not as peripheral concerns but as central barriers to inclusive growth. Backed by extensive data and policy analysis, the authors also challenge widely held assumptions about poverty reduction, arguing that progress has been uneven and overstated.

What sets India Out of Work apart is its dual role as both critique and prescription. While it raises alarm over slowing job creation and declining job quality—trends exacerbated in the post-pandemic period—it also outlines a set of policy interventions aimed at boosting employment, improving skills, and strengthening labour-intensive sectors.

The book has drawn attention from leading policymakers and economists. Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan calls it “a compelling analysis” of why India’s jobs problem should concern every citizen, warning that the demographic dividend could be squandered without urgent action. Former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia describes it as a “timely alarm bell,” noting the slowdown in non-agricultural job creation and the worrying trends in real wages.

Santosh Mehrotra brings decades of experience to the subject, having worked extensively with the United Nations and held key advisory roles within the Government of India, including at the Planning Commission and NITI Aayog. His co-author, Jajati K. Parida, contributes to a data-driven, policy-focused narrative that seeks to bridge academic insight and real-world urgency.

At its core, India Out of Work is a call to action. It argues that high growth is no longer optional but essential—and that without decisive reforms, India faces a future marked by inequality, stagnant incomes and unrealised potential.