Can the domestic labor force be employed within the country? Employment Minister says ‘Yes’

KATHMANDU, August 1: Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, Sher Bahadur Kunwar has pressed an idea for creating a ‘job atmosphere’ for the domestic workforce within the country.  

During a meeting of the Industry, Commerce, Labor, and Consumers Welfare Committee of the House of Representatives today, the Minister said the domestic workforce should be encouraged to explore work opportunities within the country. The meeting focused on issues concerning foreign employment and labor. 

The minister said that Nepal has been a good labor market for the people from India at a time when Nepali workers have reached abroad. Workers here need to be made aware that they could find a labor market within the country and that they could earn in Nepal as much as they could abroad. 

He insisted on sending only the people with skills to foreign jobs, suggesting the management of the domestic workforce internally. 

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The Committee’s President Bimal Shriwastav, too, was of the opinion of creating jobs for the domestic workforce within the country. 

According to lawmaker Shriwastav, during monitoring at a steel factory it was found that the number of workers from India was double than that of domestic workers and the scenario suggested the possibility of managing the workforce within the country. 

Secretary at the ministry, Eknarayan Aryal said the ministry is working to promote the internal labor market and at present, 145,113 are employed under the Prime Minister’s Employment Program. 

Director General of the Department of Labor and Occupational Safety, Umakant Acharya said industrialists said they preferred workforce from outside the country as they perform better and responsibly than the domestic workers. 

Director General at the Department of Foreign Employment, Shesh Narayan Paudel said there was a drop in the number of Nepalis going abroad for jobs during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic and the figure starts going up with the slowing down of the infection risk. 

As he said,  642,000 people  went for foreign employment in the fiscal year 2073/74 BS ( 2016/17) and this figure dropped to 166,000 during 2077/78 BS ( 2020/21)  and it rose to 621,000 last fiscal year (2021/22).