Shamir Amir Kansakar
The present scenario of labor market and employment ecosystem in Nepal is a grim picture, and calls for an urgent and comprehensive action. Beyond the data, which speak for themselves, there is an overall climate of hopelessness and resignation tied with distrust towards government intervention - a status-quo which has robbed people of their agency to act, and forced them to resort to unsafe choices at home and abroad. With a projection that the current working-force will be rendered an ageing society in a slim window of 10-20 years, the time to act is now. Prime Minister Employment Program (PMEP) formulated in 2075 B.S. has set out with a bold vision to create a dignified growth-oriented labor market for Nepal. My role as a Daayitwa Fellow working with the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS), was to research about effective communication strategies in order to back these progressive policies with an evidence-based action plan. Broadly, our challenges are two-fold: 1) Structural: lack of infrastructure, opportunities and access; and 2) Behavioral or perceptual: perception towards certain jobs tied with cultural, social, historical factors which leads to biased choices. The strategies for the early phase were focused on addressing the gaps in information among the beneficiaries of the program, service providers as well as society at large for its reciprocal role and how the vision of the program is being communicated. We tried to achieve a roadmap for a coherent national narrative - one that is informational, inspirational and calls for action from the concerned stakeholders. Then, there is a need to translate that message for a targeted local level engagement with dedicated involvement from community partners. Addressing behavioral barriers calls for change which cannot be solely achieved through informational campaigns but one that inspire experiential learning and civic engagement. Additionally, devising campaigns that promote dignity of labor will be a crucial element in achieving the strategic goals of PMEP. Working as a Daayitwa fellow in the ministry has been an illuminating experience in that one is confronted with the magnitude of work that is to be done while navigating around challenges. However, you feel empowered with the relationships you build and the agency you gain by working closely with government. And you see the possibility of huge impact our collective work can bring. After the fellowship, I am more interested in applying myself toward policy research and how we can come up with creative solutions to complex challenges.