Kathmandu, February 1 In a bid to halt the perennial outflow of labour for foreign employment, which has subsequently caused a labour shortage in the domestic market, the government has said it will take measures to promote young entrepreneurs in the country. During discussions with various young entrepreneurs today at the ministry, Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista, said that the government aims to change the perception that people have about their work. “I strongly feel that no work is either small or big.” “Nepali people and especially the younger generation have numerous business ideas and we need to help them materialise those ideas so as to transform them into potential entrepreneurs,” he mentioned. “The government aims to encourage domestic investment in different micro and medium industries by utilising the innovative ideas generated by the youths,” Minister Bista stated. “The government believes that simple but extensive investment from domestic investors in different sectors will encourage the youths to stay back and look for opportunities in the country itself.” He further said that the entrepreneurship movement will be gradually expanded across the country. “Our aim is to foster entrepreneurship in such a way that not only will it generate employment but also encourage workers to start something of their own when the opportunity arises,” Bista stressed. 'At present the situation in the country is such that it is the middlemen who earn the highest share of profit and along with that a reputation in the society too,” he said, adding that the people who toil every day are not recognised for their contribution to the business they are working for. “We need to change that scenario as quickly as possible if we want to see tangible improvement in the lives of the people in general.” On the occasion, Aayushi KC, founder of Khaalisisi, said that the government needs to extensively promote ideas generated by the youths, which could go a long way in engaging the unemployed youths in small and medium enterprises. 23,968 candidates file applications KATHMANDU: Altogether 23,968 youths have applied for the post of section officer (one-year contract basis) at the Prime Minister Employment Programme. The government will be hiring 753 eligible candidates for the aforementioned post based in different local levels across the country. As per the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, 3,665 have applied from Province 1, 3,671 have applied from Province 2 and 4,994 have applied from Province 3. Similarly, 1,955 have applied from Gandaki Province, 2,301 have applied from Province 5, 3,378 from Karnali Province and 4,004 have applied from the Far West Province. The ministry had published a notice on January 18 asking interested candidates to apply within 15 days for the post.