Slogan not in election: Foreign employment

KATHMANDU: The country is gearing up for federal and state elections on November 20. Employment and prosperity concerns are being raised.

According to the Foreign Employment Board Secretariat, 4992 thousand 570 Nepali youths had gone abroad for work by the end of the previous Ashar (July/August).

Many people have calculated that the number of people who work illegally is roughly the same. If we only consider those who went abroad for work in the last month of Bhadra (Aug/Sept), there is a chance that more than 7 lakh Nepalis will go abroad this year.

As Nepal’s traditional farming system does not provide a living, most young people have gone abroad to work out of necessity, with only a few going out of desire.

To assist people who have returned from foreign employment in reintegrating into society, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security issued the Reintegration Program (Operation and Management) Guideline 2075. The guidelines proposed with the goal of creating a situation in their own country for young people who went to foreign employment for the first time to end the compulsion to go to foreign employment multiple times have not been implemented.

Remittance-dependent countries, such as Nepal, are vulnerable due to the strain on migrant workers caused by internal problems in the destination country. As a result, when a special national program for the rehabilitation of citizens returning from foreign employment is required, the Foreign Employment Board implements a traditional mini-program. The stakeholders have come to the conclusion that it is woefully inadequate.

Moving from one location to another, or from a developing country to a developed country, in search of employment and other opportunities, is regarded as a normal and natural occurrence in today’s world. When there is a lack of funds or fewer opportunities to earn a living, it is also considered human nature to prefer to travel to countries and places that offer better opportunities.

People in society are fighting for full development of their productive capacity as well as a happy life. It is impossible to avoid looking for more opportunities in terms of quality of life and development potential.

Nepal has benefited from foreign employment in one area. Nepal has reached a tipping point after more than three decades of institutionalized foreign employment. However, the major political parties and their affiliated organizations are unwilling to discuss its challenges. The main issue in the country is that the unemployed are being swept under the rug, and the major parties have focused on opening up the opposition. This is a bet on the future of your own children and children’s children.

When young people go abroad to work, the country receives remittances. It drives the country’s economy. There are some societal changes. However, due to a lack of labor force, those youths’ fields have become barren. Even ordinary consumer goods must be purchased from abroad at exorbitant prices. The trade deficit has become unsustainable due to a lack of domestic production.

I have suffered for many years in a foreign country after returning from foreign employment; why should I suffer again? Of course, the country suffers from a labor culture deficit. Still working in the fields? By dividing up the land and selling it as land, there is a widespread tendency for people to become squatters or migrate to small towns. Imports have increased as a result of the habit of buying and eating without working.

Imported goods can be found in everything from car oil to vegetables in the kitchen. Manpower for work in Nepal must also be imported from abroad. Remittances from foreign employment are being remitted again. The country’s reliance on foreign employment caused by a period of compulsion must be altered.

The country’s economy should be guided toward self-sufficiency through extensive hydropower production, domestic employment, and export. However, this is not an option. Even now, it is not only sending unskilled youth to work abroad but how can the youth who enter the labor market every year be linked to the country’s employment? All political parties should consider this as well. There should be a concrete program that is not only displayed in their election manifesto but is also implemented.

It will help the country’s production system if a plan is developed to connect the youth to local production rather than sending them out. If domestic employment improves, Nepal will be able to move forward on the path of development and progress, future generations will be truly happy and prosperous, and the nation’s reputation in the global environment will improve.