The two months before the Royal Civil Service Commission entrance examination was the most tense for Lhaden and her parents. Having graduated from the peak of learning, Sherubtse college, Lhaden’s parents left no stone unturned to ensure their daughter gets through the selection examination.
To the relief of the family of four, Lhaden made it both through the preliminary and main examinations. In a few months, Lhaden would be a civil servant.
But the young university graduate has better ideas. The second option, to leave for Australia, is more attractive. The security of a civil service job is not holding her back. She is waiting for her visa.
Lhaden’s dilemma is reflective of the paradox of employment or unemployment in the country. The latest National Statistics Bureau’s Labour Force Survey reports an increasing youth unemployment. In the fourth quarter (October to December 2024), the youth unemployment rate increased to 17.7 percent. This is 6,598 young people, according to the report.
Going by educational attainment, Bhutanese with bachelor’s degrees have the highest unemployment rate of 10.81 percent. On the contrary, those without any formal education have the lowest at 0.25 percent. This (the finding of the report) is worth mulling.
The report of increasing unemployment comes at a time when every sector is complaining of shortage of manpower. The exodus of Bhutanese, the high attrition rate that many are ready to blame for poor service delivery is contrasting the Labour Force Survey report. On one hand, we have an increasing unemployment rate, on the other, we are complaining of human resource shortage.
We have, in the past few months, reported high attrition in the civil service and beyond. The rate is alarming in critical sectors like health and education. Why is the unemployment rate increasing in the face of a high attrition rate? There could be a mismatch between jobs available and jobseekers, but it is ironic to see rising unemployment and shortage of human resources in almost every agency.
Meanwhile, another growing concern is the 19.8 percent youth unemployment rate in urban areas. If youth unemployment is primarily an urban phenomenon, it is an indication of failed policies. Are youth rushing to urban areas in the hope of jobs? Is rural Bhutan so bad that even with opportunities it cannot keep the young population back?
As we talk of unemployment, rural to urban migration and gungtongs (empty households), the labour force report gives us the basis to relook into our policies. Shortage of human resources across all sectors in the face of rising unemployment is a contradiction. Not long ago, the the message for Bhutanese youth is that the civil service is saturated and that they should turn to the private sector or the informal sector for employment. Today, in the face of a shortage of manpower, our youth are wondering what is happening.
A key question when it comes to the high urban unemployment is, have we given up hope of keeping our youth on the farms? Has unemployment in the town become more attractive than self-reliance on the farm? Why is this happening when every chiwog is connected with roads, electricity and 4G internet connections?