Young Nepalis Leave Home Despite Campaign Promises as Elections Near

Despite upcoming elections in Nepal where political parties promise to create over a million jobs, young people continue leaving the country at a rate of 1,500 per day. The nation faces a 20.6% youth unemployment rate, the highest in South and Southeast Asia, driving workers to seek employment overseas where wages can be four times higher.

In Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu, 21-year-old Rahul Pariyar practices attaching his safety harness to climbing ropes at a job preparation facility. These fundamental techniques will serve him well when he begins painting buildings and cleaning skyscrapers in the United Arab Emirates.

“I am not happy to leave my family back and go for work in a foreign country. But what to do?” Pariyar said while wearing his bright yellow safety helmet. He noted that workers in Dubai typically earn approximately four times the wages available in Nepal.

The mountainous country, situated between China and India, faces elections on March 5. These elections came about after unprecedented demonstrations led by young citizens who demanded change due to limited employment opportunities and widespread government corruption, ultimately forcing the elected leader to step down.

However, Pariyar expressed little interest in the political process, stating: “I am not interested in the upcoming elections. It does not pay my wages.”

According to World Bank statistics, Nepal’s jobless rate among young people stands at 20.6%, making it the worst performer across all South and Southeast Asian countries. This figure highlights how multiple administrations have failed to address the employment shortage.

Industry representatives report that approximately three million of Nepal’s 30 million citizens currently work in other countries, particularly in Middle Eastern nations. Many of these workers participated in last September’s uprising.

Data from the Rastriya Shramik Mahasangh Nepal (RSMN), a nationwide labor union organization, shows roughly 1,500 young Nepalis depart daily to find work abroad.

Mahesh Raj Dahal, who works at Motherland Overseas recruitment company where Pariyar receives training, observed: “Over the past six months the number of people going for work abroad has increased.”

“This is because of the political instability, lack of jobs in Nepal and low wages for workers,” Dahal explained.

This mass departure has devastated rural communities throughout Nepal’s remote areas, leaving behind primarily children and elderly residents while most working-age adults have migrated elsewhere.

During their campaigns, Nepal’s major political organizations pledge to address the worker outflow that started when the nation opened its economy in 1991, allowing private employment agencies to establish operations.

The migration surge intensified during subsequent years as Maoist rebels gained control over rural regions.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), considered the leading contender due to prime ministerial candidate Balendra Shah’s popularity, has committed to establishing 1.2 million employment opportunities to decrease involuntary migration.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress, the nation’s most established political organization, claims it will produce 1.5 million jobs and cut worker emigration in half over the coming five years.

Yet widespread doubt exists about their ability to fulfill these commitments. Many young people hold Nepal’s political organizations responsible for insufficient development and employment, criticizing parties that have contributed to decades of uncertainty through constantly changing alliances and frequent elections.

Economist Keshav Acharya, formerly employed at Nepal’s central bank, explained: “Nepal was always an agricultural economy, and it directly shifted to the service sector. The politicians here bypassed the manufacturing sector, which created this crisis of jobs.”

“They come and make promises, but they hardly act on it,” Acharya added.

Multiple structural obstacles have hindered Nepal’s industrial development, including unstable policies, insufficient infrastructure, poor governance, and workforce skill gaps.

A World Bank analysis from last year stated: “The manufacturing sector, historically an engine of growth in other developing countries, has been on a constant decline.”

The report continued: “Increasing remittances have also not translated into significant job creation or higher productivity in key sectors.”

During the fiscal period ending July 15, 2024, overseas Nepali workers transferred 1.44 trillion rupees ($9.93 billion) back home, representing a 16.5% increase from the prior year and accounting for nearly 25% of Nepal’s total economic output, according to central bank records.

While Nepal’s service industries comprise more than half of its $42 billion economy, farming continues to provide employment for over 60% of workers in a country where approximately one-fifth of residents survive on less than $2 daily.

Astha Bhatta from Kathmandu’s Institute for Integrated Development Studies noted: “Even where people are counted as employed, a bigger problem is under-employment – wages that are not enough to sustain a decent living.”

“That gap between effort and earnings is a major reason why many people try to leave the country,” Bhatta said.

At Kathmandu’s primary international airport, 31-year-old Ramesh Bahadur B.K. Nimaile prepared for his departure to Romania for employment. As the oldest among six children, Nimaile supports his entire family and previously spent two years working construction in Dubai before returning due to harsh working conditions.

“Will this election give me a job? No, right? Inflation is soaring, everything is expensive,” he stated.

“I carry a family debt of over 2.5 million rupees ($17,200). What option do I really have except to migrate for work?” Nimaile asked.