The overwhelming proportion of youths in the absentee population reflects rising unemployment and the dismal prospect of prosperity in the country, say experts. The National Population and Housing Census 2011 claimed that 44.81 per cent of the country’s absentee population is from the 15 to 24 age group, showing a clear lack of opportunities for youth. The number of absentees stands at 1,921,494 now, against 762,181 in 2001, according to the census.

Although the report doesn’t indicate clearly whether the figure also includes students pursuing degrees abroad, a large number of the absentees are migrant workers.

In the backdrop of the protracted political transition and lack of industrialisation and economic growth, remittance has emerged as a major support for the country’s economy. The National Living Standard Survey 2011 showed that around 55 per cent of households in the country are receiving remittances from abroad.

The Gulf and the Middle East countries absorb a significant portion of the country’s workforce, around 400,000, every year. Records at the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) shows that a total of 3,84,665, mostly unskilled and inexperienced youth s, went abroad in the last fiscal year alone. “These youth s are often deprived of opportunities for better education, training and other facilities before coming to the labour market, making them vulnerable to many challenges,” said sociologist Ganesh Gurung. DoFE records show that highly skilled manpower accounts for almost one per cent of the total migrant population, especially in the Gulf countries, speaking volumes about the challenges that even the best trained minds face in the internal job market. Although migrants normally return home with money and skills that could prove useful to them and the country, they also bring home the added psychological baggage of torture and exploitation. In some cases, it is only their corpses that return.

Experts say the country might be benefiting from remittances currently but this dependence would prove detrimental in the long run. As the government has continually ignored its responsibilities towards the youth s, there is a possibility that this age group might lose their affection for their homeland, say experts.

An important thing to keep in mind is the fact that remittances come at the cost of the country’s economic retardation. “The current economy is that of uncertainty. We are blessed with an overwhelming productive age group but they are forced to work abroad due to a lack of opportunities,” said economist Bishambar Pyakurel.

However, government policies need to tread a fine line between discouraging migration and limiting freedoms. Gurung said it would be a folly to hinder migration. “Youths shouldn’t be prevented from migrating. They should get opportunities for better education, skills and training abroad,” Gurung said. The government should come up with schemes that help returnees invest in entrepreneurial pursuits, he added.

Published on: 11 December 2012 | The Kathmandu Post