As Nepal faces an exodus of youth seeking jobs and higher education abroad, the government is set to host a two-day National Labour and Employment Conference in Kathmandu on March 10 and 11.
The event, to be held under the theme “Expansion of Production and Productivity: Sustainable Foundation for Internal Employment”, aims to gather strategic inputs for creating and promoting domestic jobs, according to Minister for Labour, Employment, and Social Security Sharat Singh Bhandari.
Speaking at a press meet on Friday, March 7, Bhandari said, “The conference intends to explore opportunities for internal employment and its effective management.”
Nepal continues to see a large outflow of youth due to a lack of dignified job opportunities at home. While there is no official data on the number of Nepalis working in India, government records show that nearly 775,000 youths sought first-time labour approval or renewed their work permits for overseas jobs in the fiscal year 2022/23. The figure stood around 741,000 in 2023/24 and has already reached around 393,000 in the first six months of the current fiscal year, 2024/25..
Additionally, a significant number of Nepali youths leave the country for higher education, with many choosing to settle abroad permanently.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to inaugurate the conference.
According to Ministry Spokesperson Danduraj Ghimire, around 500 participants, including representatives from all three levels of government, the private sector, trade unions, development partners, and non-governmental organizations, and researchers, and experts, will attend the event.
(With inputs from RSS)
