Nepal still has few large employers after 35 years of liberalisation
Summary
Nepal has failed to create enough large employers 35 years after liberalisation, pushing around 2,000 young people to seek work abroad each day. Weak investment, political instability and limited industrial growth continue to constrain job creation at home.
Key Points
- Nepal’s labour market cannot absorb the roughly 500,000 young people who enter it each year, leaving overseas jobs as the main outlet for many workers.
- Former National Planning Commission vice-chairman Prakash Kumar Shrestha said weak capital expenditure, policy instability and poor infrastructure have hurt job creation.
- Major private-sector groups such as IME Group, Golchha Organisation, Chaudhary Group, Triveni Group, Shankar Group, Bhatbhateni and Golyan Group employ thousands, but their combined reach is still insufficient.
- The article says more than 839,000 labour permits were issued in fiscal year 2024-25, underscoring Nepal’s dependence on foreign employment and remittances.
