Ghim with employment counselor

KATHMANDU – Twenty-four year old Parwati once worked as a bonded labourer, but now has a good job that allows her to improve the lives of her family every day. So does 42-year-old Ghim, who found a job after a lengthy period of unemployment so he can remain with his family instead of migrating abroad for work.

Their individual stories illustrate how strengthened public employment services can help connect young people as well as disadvantaged groups to the labour market through improved skills assessments, and better information, placement and active support services.

Young people make up about 28 per cent of the population of Nepal, representing a rich pool of talent that can positively contribute to the country’s development. Yet unemployment among the approximately 7 million 15 to 29 year olds is 19 per cent, and this group is largely underutilized due to a lack of skills training and other factors that result in their choosing to migrate abroad for work, rather than searching for it at home. Members of other disadvantaged groups face similar challenges.

To address this, the ILO has been working with the Government of Nepal through the Labour Market Information and Employment Services (LIfE) project, funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), to help improve access to basic information and services that can help job seekers, in particular youth, make well-informed choices about education, training, and employment.

Since 2015, LIfE has been collaborating with the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) and the Department of Labour (DoL) to establish and strengthen Public Employment Service Centres (PESCs) to extend core services, especially in career, vocational and employment (both wage and self-employment). Five PESCs from 14 centres located within each of the country’s administrative regions were selected for quality improvement: one each from Far-Western, Mid-Western, Western, Central and Eastern regions of Nepal.

With the support from the LIfE project, the physical facilities of five centres have been upgraded and additional staff, in particular, employment counselors have been recruited to provide better services to clients.

Employment services are increasingly valuable in government efforts to tackle unemployment, provide information on the labour market, improve employability and labour market integration, assist those in work to progress in the labour market and boost overall market performance.

A first step in the process involves capacity development training on employment services for the officials of all PESCs, partner organizations and other stakeholders. The training programme covers the major core functions of the employment services, including essential logistical elements, service needs determination, services to employers, use of occupational codes, labour market mapping, outreach to clients of employment services, managing performance, action plans and reporting.

“I learned a lot and the tools for employment services are really useful,” explains Ms. Damuna Budhathoki, Coordinator for PESC in Dhangadhi, located in the Far-Western region, who was among those participating in the training.

Parwati Chaudhary, who is currently working as a Field Assistant at Surma Saipal Cooperative Ltd in Dhangadhi collecting and recording funds from members for later use in generating financial reports, received assistance from the PESC in the region and is confident about her future. After an initial assessment of her skills, the employment counsellor at the PESC in Dhangadhi was able to find the right job for her. A former Kamaiya, or bonded labourer, Parwati now earns about Nepalese Rupees 10,000 per month (approximately US$ 93) and says “I am able to improve my family’s status day by day.”

I am happy for being employed within my country and together with my family.

After a lengthy period of unemployment, Ghim Bahadur Nepali, was unable to adequately provide support for his family and was desperate to find a job. He had considered migrating to Gujrat, India where he had relatives, to look for work but was hesitant as he had a low level of secondary education. He heard about PESC in Nepalgunj, located in the Mid-Western Region and decided to pay a visit. There he met with the employment counsellor who assessed his skills, evaluated his previous work experience and helped him register with the centre. After several attempts to place Ghim, the counsellor was able to find a job for him as a security guard at Modern Doors and Wood Products Pvt. Ltd. “I am happy for being employed within my country and together with family members,” says Ghim. 

ILO technical assistance also involves establishing a jobs portal and a labour market information analysis system (LMIAS) to better match the requirements of employers and jobseekers. The Occupational Code System in Nepal (OCSN) based on International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) is being developed to support the system. This helps to organize jobs into a clearly defined set of groups to better alignment with regional and international standards. Client oriented applications includes matching of job seekers with job vacancies, management of short or long-term migration between countries and the development of vocational training programmes and guidance.

“In the current context of Nepal, Employment Service Centres play an important role in improving job matching and ultimately the employment of youth and disadvantaged groups”, explains Aabha Shrestha Karna, Joint Secretary, MoLE . “The labour market is very dynamic, and labour market information systems should be able to respond and support these dynamics.”

Knowledge sharing events together with activities providing for increased opportunities to exchange experiences and good practices on labour market information and employment services are also considered integral components of the LIfE project. Workshops like the one on Effective Employment Services at Butwal, jointly conducted by MoLE, DoL KOICA/Nepal, in coordination with the KOICA supported Korea-Nepal Institute of Technology (KNIT), and PESC-Butwal, allowed participants to learn about the case study on “Transition of graduates: From school to industry”.

In improving employability and labour market integration, the ILO/LIfE closely collaborates with employers and training institutions. For example, the ILO is working with the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) to conduct industry needs assessment and organize job fairs across the country’s five development regions. Similarly, the ILO works with the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) – the apex body of Technical Vocational Education and Training in Nepal – to establish institutional mechanisms for the increased collection and use of skills indicators.

Across all participating PESCs, improvements have been observed in matching prospective employers and job seekers, and in providing counseling and information services. To date, more than 500 women and men have been assisted. Take, for example, at the PESC in Nepalgunj (Mid-Western region). There counseling services have been provided to 61 people, with 25 individuals referred to jobs over the last three months. At the PESC in Butwal (Western region), 45 people were informed about job vacancies in the region. From this group, nine received jobs with the PESC’s support. In the Eastern region, the PESC in Biratnagar reports some 200 registered job seekers with four being referred to further vocational training to enter the job market, and 200 vocational training students/graduates provided with information about employment services.