India is providing training to South Asian scholars in employment and social protection issues at the Delhi based Institute of Human Development.
The Institute of Human Development and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) recently organized Training Programme for young South Asian scholars on labour economics in New Delhi.
The two-week long training programme was attended by South Asian scholars from Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan and India.
There were 30 participants from the South Asian region.
The training programme covered labour market theory and emerging issues for labour economists in South Asia.
The South Asian Research Network Programme promotes research to understand the challenges in the labour market and to encourage researchers to work on these issues.
"It is not just building capacity of individuals what we are trying to do is to promote collaboration. So they are working together on research proposals before the end of this programme, a research proposal that include the students from Afghanistan, students from Pakistan, students from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal coming together talking about a common research proposal. It is really a long term aim and we really hope to achieve and to promote intraregional collaboration. So the young researcher sitting in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka and India can come together to work on the fundamental issues of employment", said Sher Sing Verick PhD Senior Specialist on employment (ILO)
The absence of a structured labour market and sustainable employment perspectives adds to the deep economic and social uncertainties facing the country.
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"Afghanistan is a developing country war-ravaged country which in this sector needs lot of help from foreign countries. The government should take major steps. In terms of employment, we have lot of problem. We have lot of youth who are seeking for employment but they are not getting the opportunity and from one side they have problems with the skills and trainings the youth does not get in Afghanistan and from the other side the labour and the job creation in Afghanistan is not that good", said Mahdi Frough from Afghanistan (Masters in Developmental economics from South Asian University)
As the employment generation is very low in Nepal; Anand Raj hopes the training programme will give a better understanding and skills for the general welfare of the work force.
"As per Nepal's employment data about 4, 25000 young people enter the labour market annually and the employment creation is very low around 2 percent I think. So most of the young people who enter the labour market they are not getting employed so they opt for foreign employment in the gulf nations or in Malaysia . Apart form that most of the labour force is engaged in agriculture which is very less productive and not much job is created there. In the industrial sector the employment is also very low therefore many of the youth migrates to other places", said Anand Raj dev gowde from Nepal (Masters in development studies from Kathmandu)
Roshini, who works for an NGO in Nepal, thinks the training will help in depth research in labour economics in her country.
"In my country, I would like to discover new thing in labour economics and not so much of research has been done in our country in labour economics. Just now there is the flow of remittance of migration and now it is an emerging issue in our country. So I hope I could get some idea and research concept that's why I have come here", said, Roshini Gujar from Nepal (Masters in Economics from Osmania University, Hyderbad)
Labour economics basically looks at the status of labour and how their productivity can be increased for the benefit of the economy and the society.
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