Entrepreneur struggles to hire freshers, claims they demand Rs 30k/month & weekends off¡ªinternet reacts: 'Is it wrong to ask this?'

Ahmedabad-based entrepreneur Pritesh Lakhani recently took to X to vent his frustrations about the difficulties of hiring freshers who expect a Rs 30k monthly salary and weekends off. While highlighting that many graduates come armed with degrees, Lakhani emphasised that the real problem lies in the lack of essential skills¡ªa concern that often goes unspoken. However, his post didn't sit well with many, sparking a heated debate online.

Lakhani, who is building an ONDC-like infrastructure for B2B transactions in the MRO (Maintenance, Repairs & Operations) sector in India, recently took to X to express his frustration about hiring fresh graduates.

He was responding to a post showing youth unemployment levels by education in India, highlighting that the highest unemployment rates were among the most educated ones - graduates.

Ouch pic.twitter.com/dEy8R0I5YI

¡ª Manish R. Jain (@mrjain) September 8, 2024

Lakhani commented that the government's figures don't capture the full extent of the problem, saying, "Reality will be much more worse than this."

Its a government figure. Reality will be much more worse than this.

Its been more than a month. We couldn't hire 4 freshers. Their expectations are to get a 30K salary. Won't do field work. Principal/Dean of a reputed college in Ahmedabad said no students of our college will¡­ https://t.co/FiqQby92D2

¡ª Pritesh Lakhani (@priteshlakhani) September 8, 2024

However, it were his next remarks that really struck a nerve with people.

He shared that, despite over a month of searching, his company has struggled to hire four freshers because their expectations include a Rs 30k salary, no fieldwork, and cushy corporate setups with laptops and weekends off.

He even mentioned that a principal from a well-known Ahmedabad college refused to let students apply for sales jobs requiring fieldwork.

Lakhani lamented, "No one is talking about skills. Looks like people are going to run their houses on degrees."

While his concerns about the gap between education and skills may be valid, his comments have sparked controversy, with many arguing that entrepreneurs like him, who offer non-competitive salaries, are partly to blame for making corporate careers challenging for job seekers.

How did people respond?

On Reddit, a thread discusses his post and asks whether it's unreasonable for graduates to expect a Rs 30k/month salary and weekends off.

Posts from the indianworkplace
community on Reddit

Some commenters hit back, suggesting that if Lakhani wants "servants," colleges are not the right places to look.

Others accuse employers of trying to "squeeze the employees dry while milking money."

However, a different perspective argues that sales roles are unique. "Most sales jobs work on incentive plans," one commenter explains. "You have a salary but you can make more than your salary just in commissions and incentives when you get good at sales. It should go without saying that most sales happen on weekends."

Another commenter criticises the mindset of many Indian startups: "This is why most Indian start-ups fail. Founders are selfish as hell and only focus on making money in the short-term, they forget that employees are the reason why the business functions and treat them like slaves."

What's your opinion on this? Do you think graduates are asking for too much, or is the issue more complex?

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