THIMPHU, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- With increasing unemployment and lesser opportunities, the government is calling for the private sector to create more jobs in Bhutan.
This week, at an annual meeting of Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Labour and Human Resource Minister Ugyen Dorji has openly called for the private sectors to create employment opportunities.
The unemployment issue, in particular the youth unemployment crisis, is one of the challenges faced by previous political governments and is a major problem of the country even today.
While the overall unemployment rate of Bhutan stands at 3.1 percent, the youth unemployment has reached 12.3 percent. Within five years, more than 82,000 job seekers are projected to enter the job market, as per the Ministry of Labour and Human Resource.
Reducing unemployment crisis in the country is one of the pledges of the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) government. This, the minister said is linked with the private sector development.
The DNT has announced that to solve the unemployment crisis in the country, the government has two programmes planned during 12th plan (five year tenure) and a total budget of BTN 2.8 billion (40 million U.S. dollars).
The labour minister also said development of the private sector is important for a vibrant economy.
To help improve the private sector, a private sector development committee has also been formed this year. The committee was formed as a forum for regular dialogue and to recommend policy frameworks for private sector development. It has representatives from both the government and the private sector.
