The unemployment situation in the country is a serious concern, says Sunita Lohani looking at this grave situation which has worsened post quake Finding one’s dream job as per one’s qualification and securing a comfortable life for one’s family and oneself — it is ‘the’ dream of almost every individual. But not all Nepali youth get their dream job, or a well-paid job in their homeland. Every year at least 300,000 to 400,000 youth arrive in the Nepali job market in search of a job, but only five per cent of them are able to land a job in the country, according to the Nepal Labour Survey 2015. The remaining are either forced to leave the country in search of employment opportunities somewhere far off, or accept under-paid jobs that are not worthy of their qualifications. Overflow of applications When the Employment Permit System (EPS), Korea branch in Kathmandu, announced vacancy for 3,100 workers to work in South Korea recently, some 60,600 people dropped their applications. This is just an example of people’s attraction towards foreign employment. No less was the number of applicants when the Public Service Commission (PSC) announced vacancies in 5,000 different posts in January. A total of 5,060,000 applications were dropped for 5,000 posts, according to PSC. Whether educated or uneducated, the number of unemployed is large in the country — and this not only makes it difficult for youngsters to earn a living, the country’s economy is also affected. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics 2014, a total of 4,000,200 people are not getting jobs befitting their qualification and skills. It further reveals that the illiterate unemployment (unemployed and illiterate) is 2.1 per cent in the country, whereas literate/educated unemployment (unemployed despite having a college degree) rate is 4.1 per cent. The survey also states that 40,000 to 50,000 people, who have Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees, are unemployed in the country. Employed yet unsatisfied Such is the problem of unemployment that 12 youngsters were on a fast in Khulamanch a few weeks ago to put pressure on the government to address the issues of job scarcity and social security regarding Nepali youth. Their demands were not addressed, and these youth ended their fast. It is not that all the youth are unsatisfied with their job but some are trying to find alternatives. Nirat Raut, 21, from Kapan is one of them. The BSc IIIrd Year student used to work as a full-time teacher in a school and was paid Rs 8,000 a month. The salary was less but the work was more, and now he is a home tutor. He teaches Class IX and X students at their homes. “I work for three-and-a-half hours daily and earn Rs 10,000 a month. I need a job to support my studies and daily expenses,” he shares. But there are those who are employed, yet not satisfied with their work and salary. Soniya Shakya, 23, from Gongabu, applied for job in many I/NGOs after completing her Bachelor’s in Social Work. She wanted a job that was related to what she studied in college. But she was unable to get one, so now she has “been working as a grade teacher in a school” and earns Rs 6,500 a month. Government’s unsuccessful initiative To address the problem of unemployment, the government in 2008 announced a policy to provide 30,000 jobs to Nepali youth under the Youth and Small Entrepreneur Self Employment Fund (YSEF) every year. It provides loans to Nepali youth so that they can start businesses of their own and be self-employed. But YSEF statistics from 2008 to 2016 show that only 28,624 people (12,750 women and 15,874 men) got funds in the last eight years. For the fiscal year 2016/17, YSEF aims to fund 50,000 youth. Ironically, most of the people do not know about YSEF. Ishor Gurung, 30, came to Kathmandu from Lamjung, to pursue his college education. He is now an MBS graduate, but is unemployed. After doing several odd jobs, Gurung expresses he is “hunting for a suitable job” befitting his qualification. It has been eight years that the YSEF has come into existence, but Gurung says, “This is the first time I have heard about the existence of such a body.” Similarly, Ram Tharu, 18, from Butwal is working as an office boy at a manpower company in Anamnagar. Four years ago Tharu came to the Capital in search of job so that he could earn and send home money. However, he is uneducated and even after “working as a full-timer in the office, I earn only Rs 4,750 a month. It is not sufficient for me to survive, so how can I send money home?” he questions. So, hasn’t he thought about applying for loan from YSEF and start something on his own? “I have not heard about such a fund. How I can get it?” Tharu asks. These are a few examples of people who do not have access to the programmes and policies of the government. But Lok Bahadur Khadka, Branch Head, Programme Promoter and Researcher at YSEF claims, “The fund is reaching  out to the needy youth to provide them with the employment opportunities and to reduce unemployment.” And addressing the youth who leave for the Gulf countries and other nations in search of employment opportunities, he says, “Those going to the Gulf countries are the ones who can invest more than Rs 100,000. Our fund (YSEF) is for those who are penniless.” The Gorkha Earthquake, unofficial blockade and forest fires are also paralysing the country’s economy. Statistics from the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) claims that 800,000 jobless people have been added in the market post-quake — due to collapse of industries’ infrastructure and political turmoil in the country. More than 800 Nepali youth leave the country every day — in pursuit of a better life and happiness, as per the Labour Department. In such a condition, President Bidhya Bhandari presented the government’s policy and proposed programmes for the upcoming fiscal year 2016/17 at the Legislature-Parliament on May 8. Among others, it addresses the problem of job scarcity and has provision for youth self-employment programmes. If approved, it is hoped that it should be able to address the country’s problem of unemployment to some extent. How to get a loan from YSEF? Any unemployed Nepali citizen, who is 18 years of age and is below 50, is eligible to apply for the loan from YSEF. Anyone fulfilling the criteria could get a loan of up to Rs 200,000 via bank and cooperatives that have partnered with YSEF. You need to be the shareholder member of the bank or the cooperative to get the loan. Similarly, groups can also apply for the loan — maximum 25 people can be in a group, and each individual in the group can get a loan up to Rs 200,000. These cooperatives and bank charge interest up to 12 per cent. A total of 624 cooperatives are providing loans in the entire country via YSEF programme. YSEF is more focused towards the people from marginalised communities, disadvantaged groups and those from rural areas. One gets loan for agriculture, animal farming, small scale entrepreneurship, traditional profession, home stay business, business of local raw material, et cetera.