New Delhi: The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), long regarded as premier engineering institutions, have witnessed a significant drop in BTech placements over the past two years.
According to government data shared with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports, 22 out of 23 IITs recorded lower placement percentages in 2023-24 compared to 2021-22.
Steep Declines in Placement Rates:
As per reports, more than half of the IITs saw a decline of over 10 percentage points, with some experiencing sharper falls. Among the hardest-hit institutions: IIT Dharwad: 90.20% (2021-22) → 65.56% (2023-24) (largest drop of ~ 25 percentage points), IIT Jammu: 92.08% → 70.25%, IIT Delhi: 87.69% → 72.81%, IIT Madras: 85.71% → 73.29%, IIT Bombay: 96.11% → 83.39%, IIT Kanpur: 93.63% → 82.48%.
In 2021-22, 14 IITs reported placement rates above 90%, but by 2023-24, only three, Jodhpur, Patna, and Goa, crossed the threshold, with IIT Jodhpur leading at 92.98%. The only exception to this downward trend was IIT (BHU) Varanasi, which saw a modest improvement in placements.
The committee also noted a decline in average salary packages offered to students in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23, though specific figures were not disclosed. It attributed the trend to shifting market conditions, with some students opting for higher studies or startup ventures over traditional placements.
According to a Money Control report, the Parliamentary Standing Committee, chaired by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, called this decline “unusual”, extending beyond IITs to Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs). It urged the Higher Education Department to take measures to enhance employability and better align students with industry demands.
“There could be various reasons for this decline, such as students opting for higher education or pursuing start-up ventures. The panel noted that though placements depend on market trends, the department should find ways to enhance employability accordingly,” the report stated.
With IITs traditionally being a barometer for India’s technical workforce, the ongoing slump in placements raises concerns about job market dynamics and the need for policy interventions to support graduating engineers.
