National Labor and Employment Conference being held in Nepal from March 10

KATHMANDU, March 8: The government is organizing a two-day National Labor and Employment Conference in Kathmandu starting from March 10, with the slogan "Expansion of Production and Productivity, Sustainable Foundation of Internal Employment."

The conference aims to foster coordination and collaboration between different sectors and organizations to support the strategic action plan for promoting internal employment over the next decade, enhancing production and productivity.

In a press conference on Saturday, Minister for Labor, Employment, and Social Security, Sharatsingh Bhandari, said that the conference aims to identify the potential for internal employment and gather concrete opinions and suggestions for its management.

He added, "We need to determine what kind of employment the country requires and what skills are necessary. The Ministry of Labor has prioritized increasing production and providing employment based on entrepreneurship."

Minister Bhandari pointed out that the lack of skills is the reason for unemployment and stated that reducing foreign employment will be difficult until the potential and management of internal employment are addressed. He said, "Internal employment is the alternative to foreign employment. Let's break the negative mindset and narrative seen in Nepali society and send a message through this conference that something will change." According to him, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will inaugurate the conference.

The MoLESS believes the conference will gather suggestions for future policy and legal reforms by analyzing the challenges in the foreign employment sector and creating a favorable environment for labor and employment.

The MoLESS stated that it will incorporate the suggestions received from the conference, including the report from the task force formed to revise the Foreign Employment Act and the Vocational and Skill Development Training Center, as well as reforms in the Social Security Fund and the Foreign Employment Board, into the upcoming ten-year strategic plan for promoting internal employment.

MoLESS Spokesperson Danduraj Ghimire said that around 500 participants, including representatives from all three levels of government, the private sector, trade unions, businesses and researchers related to labor and employment, development partners, non-governmental organizations, and youth, will participate in the conference.

The ministry stated that the conference aims to gather concrete opinions and suggestions for creating necessary policies and programs to address the contraction in Nepal's employment sector, provide employment-oriented services to the new workforce entering the labor market each year, and identify and manage new employment areas.

Foreign employment has become an integral part of the economy and society, serving as the main source of foreign currency earnings.

The conference will explore how to use remittances for the country's transformation. The country has viewed foreign employment as a short-term economic strategy for prosperity.

To achieve inclusive development with social justice, the ministry has been implementing various programs and projects as part of the 16th Plan.

The lack of proper recognition for Nepali workers in internal employment has put additional pressure on foreign employment. During the fiscal year 2023/24, a total of 714,297 Nepali workers received labor approval and re-labor approval, according to the information shared.

Although foreign employment has directly contributed to Nepal's employment management and foreign currency earnings, the ministry states that its impact on the country's long-term social and economic development has been limited.