Political Parties Pledge Massive Job Creation to Curb Foreign Employment

Major political parties have unveiled their election manifestos with strong commitments to generate employment opportunities within Nepal. With the lack of dignified and sustainable jobs at home forcing hundreds of thousands of Nepalis to seek foreign employment each year, job creation has emerged as a central campaign issue.

The Nepali Congress has pledged to create at least 1.5 million dignified and productive jobs over the next five years. The party has committed to increasing the share of the formal sector to over 50 percent while prioritizing employment opportunities for Nepali youth within the country. According to its manifesto, project-based seed capital ranging from Rs 500,000 to Rs 5 million will be provided on concessional terms to promote entrepreneurship and production.

The party has also promised to bring all workers in the informal sector under the Social Security Fund. “Within the next five years, we will reduce the number of people leaving for foreign employment by 50 percent,” the manifesto states. It further pledges to end the practice of charging arbitrary and excessive service fees to migrant workers. Additionally, returnee migrant workers will be offered concessional loans of up to Rs 5 million, along with tax exemptions for a certain period and entrepreneurship promotion programs to help them establish businesses at home.

The CPN-UML has similarly emphasized providing employment opportunities for youth within Nepal. The party has announced that it will create 500,000 jobs annually 400,000 through high economic growth and an additional 100,000 through targeted employment programs, including in the information technology sector. Its manifesto states that by increasing the annual productivity growth rate of Nepali workers to over seven percent, labor income could double within five years.

The UML has also committed to transforming informal labor relationships into formal employment through a contribution-based social security system. To achieve this, it plans to register workers and establish labor desks in every local government unit to facilitate enrollment in the social security system. The party has also pledged to end the situation in which individuals must take high-interest loans to finance foreign employment.

The NCP (Communist Party of Nepal) has pledged to add 150,000 additional jobs annually, ensuring a total of 500,000 jobs each year. It has also promised to introduce unemployment insurance. The party’s commitment document states that it will implement a “Returnee Entrepreneurship Program” to create a favorable environment for employment, self-employment, and investment by utilizing the knowledge, skills, experience, and capital of Nepalis working abroad. At least 100,000 returnee migrants will be supported to become entrepreneurs. The party has also vowed to revise foreign labor laws to ensure compliance with international conventions and standards and to prioritize government-to-government (G2G) labor agreements.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has proposed clear legal and policy frameworks to ensure that Nepalis can work for foreign companies and employers while residing in Nepal. The party has pledged to transform Nepal into a “Global Tech Hub” by constructing state-of-the-art digital parks in all seven provinces, aiming to create 500,000 direct jobs. It has also committed to amending the Labor Act and related laws to grant legal recognition to remote work, digital employment, and cross-border service exports.

In addition, the RSP has promised to issue special identification cards for Nepali migrant workers abroad. It has further pledged to provide concessional loans through banks, based on recommendations or guarantees from local governments, to Dalit and marginalized community members who wish to seek foreign employment.

Meanwhile, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has vowed to designate the information technology sector as a national priority industry. The party argues that the IT sector does not require large capital investment or raw materials, does not necessitate migration abroad, and has the potential to transform brain drain into brain gain. By declaring IT a national priority industry, the RPP plans to move forward rapidly in expanding the sector and creating employment opportunities for youth within the country.

With foreign employment continuing to serve as a lifeline for Nepal’s economy, the competing promises reflect growing public pressure on political parties to deliver sustainable, dignified jobs at home and reduce the nation’s dependence on labor migration.