Youth unemployment rate down to 7.2%
Bhutan, the nation well known for its happiness has almost 7, 00,000 (7 lakhs) people living in the country in which more than 50% of its populations comprises of youth. The founder of GNH, His Majesty 4th King always stresses further on youth and keeps on commemorating the importance of eminent youth as dignified asset. Walking and talking about the youth unemployment in the country, Bhutan still has 7.2% of youth who are unemployed and still under great vigor of finding their way to their destiny. Compared to previous year the rate of youth unemployment has declined by 2% and it is great accomplishment for the labour ministry for eradicating youth unemployment by 2%.
The upsurge in the number of youth dropouts and youth graduating every year is an enormous challenge for the government officials as well as for private sector labors. Many of the youths desires joining government’s job than that of private job because job seekers sees more benefits in government jobs compared to private entrepreneurs. Moreover, the reason of upsurge in youth unemployment rate is because of rural-urban migration where all the young youth from rural places comes to urban for healthier thought and lands up being unemployed. The major reason behind increase in youth unemployment rate is because of youth looking for standard job. Where they could find only few standard vacancies and the number of youth job seeker exceeds the number of vacancies.
However, the survey of previous year showed that job vacancies available outnumbered jobseekers. The total vacancies in 2011 stood at 7,814 and there were only 7,108 people looking for jobs. This means, youth job seekers are not really interested in whatever the vacancies is being announced as a result the rate of youth unemployment remains at 7.2%. One of the official from labour ministry said “youth unemployment is a result of mismatch of skills and expectations”. He said even if jobs are available, people choose to remain unemployed”. In one of the private paper, His Excellency Labour Minister said “if people are willing to work, we have enough jobs. For instance, we train about 10 people in laundry in Thailand, and after they come back we try to place them in some of the hotels. But the trainees were not interested in the job”. The only thing labour ministry can do is to carry out awareness campaigns and advocacies so that the youth are made aware of the reality. One of the causes of youth unemployment, some officials of the ministry say, is the education system not being job market oriented.
For how long this perilous problem will continue? We wonder and everybody wishes to ponder the unemployed youth and the rate of unemployment rate. In Bhutan, at present there are more than 10, 500 people without work in the country.
