N.B.: This is my first prize winning essay, I wrote in 2008 as a First Year student at CST :)
The development progress in any country depends on the productive
output from its population and its ability to provide gainful employment to a
large segment of youth. As stated in unemployment-Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia, (2008), “Unemployment is a state in which a person is without
work, available to work and is currently seeking for work”. Today, unemployment
is seen as a rising concern all over the world especially in the south Asian
countries. Like in all other countries, the development progress in Bhutan
was followed with the unemployment problems arising among the youths, aged
under 20 years. The development in Bhutan ushered the kingdom into an
era of one of the biggest economic challenges wherein more than 40% of the
population is facing tremendous difficulty in finding their choice of
employment. Though, Bhutan
has a lower rate of unemployment among these countries, yet the number is very
alarming taking into consideration its population size.
The employment scenario in Bhutan has undergone major changes
particularly over the last decade. This is seen as an outcome of considerably
faster growth rates in the secondary and tertiary sectors compared to the
primary sectors. According to the Bhutan living standard survey Report, (2007),
the unemployment rate has increased to 3.7% in 2007 from 2.5% in 2004 and 3.2%
in 2006 (p. 40). In Lhuentse, Tashiyangtse and Thimphu,
unemployment rates are found to be the highest. The high unemployment rate in
Lhuentse and Trashiyangtse is because the job seekers increasingly outnumber
the job opportunities available (since these dzongkhags are the rural
parts).The population is high but the development rate very low, the facilities such as industries and co
operations, which employ many people are comparatively very few in these
regions of the country. Thus the few available co operations remain helplessly
short of space to accommodate the needy . (Though the government is now emphasizing
on rural development).
Similarly, the unemployment rate in Thimphu is very high. This maybe because, Thimphu being much urbanized as compared to other
dzongkhags attracts most of the Bhutanese jobseekers. But here, the people
either do not want to do the jobs available or they are not qualified for the same.
These mismatches between the jobs and the jobseekers leave the post empty and
people idle. Usually the unsuccessful candidates do not return to their
villages but remain back in Thimphu thereby increasing the unemployment rate in
Thimphu.
The
incidence of unemployment is highest among the youth aged 15-24, most being
early school dropouts. The scenario of the unemployment situation we see is
just a tip of the ice berg. And we know that this trend will only mount. The
semi literate job seeking population will be far larger. It appears that the
training institutes will continue to be a weak link between the swelling
student population and a hungry job market.
The Frey the problems of
unemployment, a distant and vague concern in the past, suddenly appear to be at
our doorstep. At the same time, we suffer an acute shortage of manpower in
nearly every sector, both government and private. The irony of unemployed or
potentially unemployed youth and a simultaneous manpower shortage spells a serious
short coming in planning and coordination. More so because, it hits us at a
time when we did not expect unemployment to even be an issue for at least
another decade.
Earlier when people left schools, they
went to work on land, but today people seem more eager to find lucrative jobs
in urban places. Moreover the lack of understanding on dignity of labor by
Bhutanese youth has added up to the increasing number of unemployment. This is
a reason as to why the country has employed thousands of Indian workers for
blue collar job, building and road construction works because the Bhutanese
either cannot-or-won’t do it. According to the former minister, Mr. Yeshey Zimba, “For a small country the question of migrant
workers is always a very serious matter”. The cheap labour is fueling Bhutan’s rapid
modernization. But the influx of foreign workers, mixed with rising
unemployment among Bhutan’s
youth is blamed for increasing petty crime and drug and alcohol abuse. The
kingdom today finds itself in the position of not having enough laborers on one
hand, while having too many over-qualified people on the other. This means that we have on one hand,
thousands of students dropping out of school, completing school, and graduating
from tertiary institutions every year with more and more of them unable to find
jobs; on the other, we have many government and private organizations in urgent
need of manpower, especially skilled workers, and not being able to find them.
The unemployed youth thus remain confused and confronted by a critical career
situation.
Enormous
success of enrolment in schools and increased output of educated youths has
resulted in increasing numbers of youths entering the job market. However, the
private sector being underdeveloped is unable to absorb the mass. Problem
arising out of the mismatch between requirements of the organizations and the
skills of the labor force is the reason as to why the scenario in Bhutan
is termed as Structural Unemployment.
As the problem comes into focus, what
we see is the need for something in between, a range of training programmes to
prepare youth for the job market. What we need are training centres and
institutions at all levels, offering courses in the most urgently required
fields. Skills development has long been recognized in Bhutan as an urgent requirement.
The situation in Bhutan is not that serious as
compared to other developing countries. And the truth remains that However the need to create new employment
opportunities in the country has become particularly urgent. As stated by the
planning commission of Bhutan,
(2006), “unemployment, a phenomenon unknown to the country recently, will soon
be a reality that the country will be forced to grapple it” (p.37).
The government has already started working over the issue. High priority
is given to the development of private sector through establishments of
handicrafts and other small scale industries. Construction industries and
service industries are also being promoted. Further, the government also
established the Ministry of Labor and Human Settlement in 2003 to deal with
issues related to youth unemployment.
In addition to the creation of
additional employment through accelerated growth and development of private
sector, it is important to create opportunities which will make rural life and
employment attractive to youths. The problems of unemployment must be tackled soon
in order to increase the productivity of the country and to alleviate poverty.
We live in a changing world full of opportunities.
Reference Lists
1. National
Statistics Bureau. (2007). Employment. Bhutan Living Standard Survey Report. 39-45
2. Department of Aid and Debt
Management. (2006). Private sector development and youth employment. Ninth round table meeting Report. 16-21
3. Planning commission. (2006).
Employment. Ninth plan main document. 37-39
4. Unemployment-wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2008). Unemployment. Retrieved
March 24, 2008, from http://en.wikipedid.org/wiki/unemployment
5. Lawson, A. (2002). Bhutan’s deepening unemployment crises, Retrieved March 24, 2008,
from http://news bbc.co.uk/l/hi/world/south-Asia/2050395.stm
6. Prakash, D. (2006). Unemployment rising as economy grows, Retrieved
March 26, 2008, from http://www.asianews.it/index.php?=l=en&art=5489
