AvailableNepali translation awaiting review

Jobs and enterprise

The Constitution makes employment a fundamental right, but the last full labour force survey found more than four in five working people in informal jobs and one in five young people in the labour force unemployed. The open questions are how much to rely on government job programmes versus private businesses, how open to be to foreign investment, and how to bring informal work under labour protection without stifling small firms.

Long-term goalEnough decent, protected work at home for a growing working-age population

Article 33 gives every citizen the right to employment and Article 34 gives every worker the right to fair labour practice and contributory social security. The 16th Plan sets targets to FY 2085/86: unemployment down from 11.4 to 5 per cent, the formal-sector share of employment up from 36.5 to 50 per cent, and labour force participation up from 38.5 to 50 per cent. These are multi-year goals that depend on growth, investment and institutions at all three levels of government.926

Contested choiceHow far government should create jobs directly, and how far it should rely on private enterprise

The Right to Employment Act, 2075 promises registered unemployed people at least 100 days of work a year, or a subsistence allowance if the government cannot provide it, and the government runs a National Employment Promotion Programme through local governments to deliver this. The FY 2083/84 budget speech (English translation) does not name that programme; its enterprise measures focus on reforms meant to make it easier to invest and run a business: amending company, industry and foreign investment laws, an automated investment route and credit guarantees. Both approaches are current policy. How to divide money and effort between them is a real choice.13221718

Contested choiceHow open to be to foreign capital, and how much to protect domestic and small enterprise

The Constitution asks the state both to give priority to domestic investment based on Nepali labour, skills and raw materials, and to encourage foreign capital in import substitution, export promotion and infrastructure. The Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act keeps some sectors closed to foreign investment, including micro and cottage enterprises, retail trade and some tourism services, while the FY 2083/84 budget proposes further easing of approval and repatriation rules. Where to draw these lines is a policy choice, not a technical one.101517

Urgent problemToo few jobs, and most work is informal

In the 2017/18 Labour Force Survey, 84.6 per cent of employed people were in informal employment, youth unemployment (ages 15–24) was 21.4 per cent, and a broader measure of unmet need for work (LU3) was 33.1 per cent. In the first eight months of FY 2082/83, 745,435 unemployed people registered under the national employment programme; in FY 2081/82, of 797,725 registered, 55,151 received work, for an average of 71.78 days. The 16th Plan links the limited capacity of the domestic labour market to people going abroad for work.24235

Updated 2026-10-10 · Version 2 · Sources · Corrections & right of reply

Question 1

What is the issue, and why does it matter?

Nepal's last full labour force survey (2017/18) counted about 20.7 million people of working age, about 7.1 million employed and 908 thousand unemployed, an unemployment rate of 11.4 per cent. Women's labour force participation was 26.3 per cent against 53.8 per cent for men. Unemployment was 21.4 per cent among people aged 15–24 and 20.1 per cent in Province 2 (now Madhesh), against 7 per cent in Province 3 (now Bagmati). A fourth survey is in the field and, according to the National Statistics Office as reported in July 2026, is expected to finish by February–March 2027.123

Most work is informal. In 2017/18, 84.6 per cent of employed people were informally employed (90.5 per cent of women and 81.1 per cent of men), and only 15 per cent of employees were covered by social security. The 16th Plan says efforts to organise informal and care work have begun but have not achieved notable results.145

Enterprise is growing but remains small-scale. By mid-March 2026 (Falgun 2082), 11,140 industries were registered at the Department of Industry, two-thirds of them small; 386,230 micro, cottage and small industries were recorded by province, with 240,865 renewals (the Survey notes that registration must be renewed every year, so the two numbers differ); and 369,646 companies were registered. In the 16th Plan's own figures, manufacturing was about 5 per cent of GDP in FY 2079/80, below the 15th Plan's 6.5 per cent target.678

Jobs at home and labour migration are two sides of the same question. When there is little paid work in Nepal, more people look abroad; when firms cannot find workers or capital, they grow less. Choices about business rules, finance, skills, public employment and labour protection together shape how many decent jobs exist in Nepal.

Question 2

What do current law and policy say?

Constitution: every citizen has the right to employment and to choose employment; the terms and conditions of employment and unemployment benefit are to be set by federal law (Article 33). Every worker has the right to fair labour practice, appropriate remuneration, facilities and contributory social security, and to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively (Article 34).9

State policies (Article 51): strengthen the economy through the public, private and cooperative sectors, with a focus on the private sector's role; give priority to domestic investment based on Nepali labour, skills and raw materials; encourage foreign capital and technology in import substitution, export promotion and infrastructure; use the knowledge, skills, technology and capital of non-resident Nepalis (51(d)). Make the labour force competent and professional and increase employment within the country; guarantee social security in line with decent work; abolish labour exploitation including child labour (51(i)).10

Who holds which power: factories, industrialisation, trade and business are provincial powers (Schedule 6). Social security and employment, trade unions, labour disputes, industries, and employment and unemployment benefit are shared between the federation and provinces (Schedule 7). Cooperatives and collecting statistics on the unemployed are local powers (Schedule 8).11

Labour Act, 2074 (2017; amended 2075, 2081 and 2082): employers may hire on regular, work-based, time-bound, casual or part-time terms, and may not put anyone to work without an employment contract; a written contract is not required for casual work (sections 10–11). Employers must deposit a provident fund (10 per cent deducted from basic pay plus 10 per cent added by the employer) and gratuity (8.33 per cent of basic pay) in the Social Security Fund (sections 52–53). The minimum wage is set every two years on the recommendation of a committee of government, trade unions and employers (sections 106–107).12

Right to Employment Act, 2075 (2018): an unemployed person is a citizen aged 18–59 who has not had at least 100 days of work, or self-employment above a set income, in a fiscal year. Federal, provincial and local governments must run employment programmes to provide this minimum employment, giving priority to women, Dalits, poor people and families of martyrs and the disappeared (section 8). Each local government is to have an Employment Service Centre that registers the unemployed (sections 10–11). If the government cannot provide minimum employment, it is to pay a subsistence allowance equal to 50 per cent of the minimum wage for the shortfall in the 100 days, subject to household conditions (section 22).13

Industrial Enterprises Act, 2076 (2020; amended twice in 2081): no industry may be set up or run without registration (section 3). Industries are classed by fixed capital: micro enterprises (up to Rs 2 million, at most nine workers including the owner, turnover under Rs 10 million), cottage industries, small (up to Rs 150 million), medium (Rs 150–500 million) and large (above Rs 500 million) (section 17). Micro enterprises pay no registration fee and get a full income tax exemption (section 26); women-only owned firms get a 35 per cent discount on registration fees (section 27). A firm or company using innovative ideas or technology may be registered as a startup if no more than ten years have passed since its registration and its annual turnover has not exceeded Rs 150 million in any fiscal year since then (section 4A). Local governments may register and regulate micro enterprises and cottage and small industries as federal and provincial law provides (section 61).14

Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, 2075 (2019; amended in 2080 and twice in 2081): foreign investors may invest in any industry except those on a negative list (section 3), which includes primary agriculture except large export-oriented industries, micro and cottage enterprises, personal services, retail trade, real estate trading, travel agencies, trekking guides and homestays, mass media, and some professional services (Schedule). The government may set a minimum investment amount, different for non-resident Nepalis (section 3(3)), and may provide company registration, industry registration and investment approval through an automatic route (section 42).15

16th Plan (FY 2081/82–2085/86), chapter 4: it lists restructuring targeted programmes such as the Prime Minister Employment Programme among the key issues. Its strategies include mainstreaming employment in macroeconomic, monetary and sectoral policy, demand-based and workplace-based training, and gradual formalisation of informal work through business registration, worker registration and skills certification. Its programmes include minimum employment and unemployment assistance, an employer incentive programme, and a national employment management information system.516

FY 2083/84 budget: amend the Industrial Enterprises Act so that a notice to the Department of Industry suffices for capacity expansion, ownership transfer and capital increases; amend the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act so that notifying Nepal Rastra Bank suffices to repatriate investment, and remove prior approval in the automated route; offer credit guarantees with 'first-loss recovery' for small and medium entrepreneurs (para 10). Launch an automated 'Investment Express' route within three months (para 26). Make the labour registry mandatory for workers and employers, make written agreements, minimum wage, insurance and bank payment of wages mandatory, and run a campaign to enrol informal workers in social security (para 35). Establish a Nepal Enterprise Facility for startups and small and medium enterprises (para 57).17181920

National Employment Promotion Programme: according to the programme's official website, the government brought this programme into effect from FY 2082/83 and approved its operating directive on 3 Poush 2082 under section 32 of the Right to Employment Act. For FY 2083/84, the Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment sends the money to local governments as a conditional grant; local governments must add an equal (100 per cent) share; registered unemployed people are to be given work at no less than the minimum wage, with the number employed set so that each can be given 100 days of work at the prescribed wage rate; priority goes to agriculture and other public infrastructure projects.2122

Question 3

What is known, uncertain or disputed?

Known

Labour underutilisation is much wider than unemployment. In 2017/18, 663 thousand employed people were in time-related underemployment and 2.59 million people outside the labour force made up the 'potential labour force' (people who wanted work and were available but were not seeking it, or were seeking work but were not available). The combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force (LU3) was 33.1 per cent, and 43.1 per cent for women.2

Social security coverage is growing, mostly among migrant workers. By mid-March 2026, 2,851,382 contributors were enrolled in the Social Security Fund: 685,487 from the formal sector, 2,164,159 in foreign employment, 904 from the informal sector and 832 self-employed. 23,210 employers were enrolled. The 16th Plan noted 18,847 establishments enrolled by the end of 2080 BS, out of 923,356 counted in the 2075 National Economic Census.235

The public employment programme reaches few of those who register. In FY 2081/82, 797,725 unemployed people registered in 736 local governments and 55,151 received work, for an average of 71.78 days; the average ranged from 80 days in Bagmati to 49.14 days in Madhesh. An ILO assessment based on fieldwork in December 2024 and January 2025 found that in most municipalities Employment Service Centres were limited to the programme's cash-for-work component, job matching and employer engagement were rarely delivered, and there was no career counselling or skills training.2324

Foreign investment approvals are concentrated by source country, and approvals and recorded inflows are different measures. By mid-March 2026 (Falgun 2082), the Department of Industry's cumulative approvals since records began totalled Rs 625.58 billion of foreign investment in 7,951 projects (968 through the automatic route), which it estimates would create 362,545 jobs; China accounted for 48.0 per cent of the approved amount and India for 17.9 per cent. Separately, Nepal Rastra Bank, which records investment received, reported foreign direct investment inflows (equity only, provisional) of Rs 28.49 billion in FY 2025/26 (2082/83), up from Rs 12.02 billion the year before.625

Most bank lending is secured against property. In mid-July 2026, 62.9 per cent of banks' and financial institutions' outstanding credit was secured against land and buildings, and private-sector credit grew 6.5 per cent in FY 2025/26. Under the government's startup loan programme, 5,158 proposals were received in FY 2081/82, 661 were recommended and 600 enterprises received loans; 10,244 proposals were received in FY 2082/83 up to Falgun.256

Uncertain

Official unemployment figures conflict, and the data are old. The 16th Plan uses 11.4 per cent from the 2017/18 Labour Force Survey. The Economic Survey 2082/83 (SDG table, citing the National Planning Commission) reports 12.6 per cent for both 2024 and 2025 without naming the survey behind it. No newer labour force survey has been published; the fourth survey is expected to finish by February–March 2027, according to the National Statistics Office as reported in July 2026, and no publication date was reported.26273

Informality is measured in different ways, and the three official figures are different measures, not conflicting estimates of the same thing. The 16th Plan's baselines are the share of employment in the formal (non-agricultural) sector, 36.5 per cent, and the share in the informal sector, 62.2 per cent. The same survey's job-based measure of informal employment, 84.6 per cent, also counts employees in formal-sector firms who have neither paid leave nor employer social security contributions. Progress will look different depending on which measure is tracked.26284

Job figures for registered industries and approved foreign investment are projections, not counts. The Economic Survey estimates that registered industries would create 785,520 direct jobs and approved foreign investment 362,545; no official count of jobs actually created was found. Approvals and inflows are also different measures. In FY 2082/83 (2025/26), the Department of Industry approved Rs 40.70 billion of foreign investment in 554 projects in the first eight months (to Falgun), while Nepal Rastra Bank recorded Rs 28.49 billion of equity foreign direct investment inflows (provisional) for the full year. Approvals record investment that has been authorised and inflows record money received, and the two figures cover different periods, so they are not directly comparable and no ratio is drawn here.625

Small official figures differ. The 16th Plan gives manufacturing's share of GDP in FY 2079/80 as 5.3 per cent in its text and 5.2 per cent in its targets table. It also gives 650 thousand Social Security Fund beneficiaries as its FY 2079/80 baseline, while saying in its text that 1,280,888 workers had enrolled by the end of 2080 BS; the two may count different things.8526

It is not clear how much public money goes to the employment programme in FY 2083/84. The budget allocates Rs 3.63 billion to the labour and employment sector but does not name the National Employment Promotion Programme, and the ministry's guidance for local governments does not state the grant amount.2022

How far foreign workers are displacing Nepali workers is not established in the reviewed sources. The 16th Plan states that a lack of labour market analysis, an imbalance between labour demand and supply, a shortage of skilled workers, a lack of respect for work, an import-oriented economy, and weak labour inspection and regulation have increased the inflow of foreign workers and that domestic workers are being displaced. Labour ministry data reported in the Economic Survey show 395 new work permits and 890 renewals for non-Nepali citizens in FY 2082/83 up to Falgun. No reviewed source estimates how many foreign nationals work in Nepal without a permit or measures the displacement the Plan describes.523

Disputed

Nothing recorded yet.

Questions 4–5

What are the options, and what do they cost and achieve?

Options are listed in no particular order. Policy Nepal does not recommend one; real policies often combine them.

Make it easier to start, run and finance a business17182014257

Cut approvals and paperwork for firms of all sizes and widen access to credit that does not depend on land, so that private enterprises, especially small ones, can grow and hire. This is the main direction of the FY 2083/84 budget's legal reforms, credit guarantees and Nepal Enterprise Facility.

Benefits
  • Lower cost and time to register, expand or close a firm may encourage new businesses and bring some informal ones into the registered economy.
  • Credit guarantees and credit scoring could reach entrepreneurs who lack land or buildings, which back most bank lending today.
Costs
  • Guarantee schemes put public money at risk if loans go bad, and need careful design to avoid subsidising lending that would have happened anyway.
  • Simpler entry does not by itself create demand; firms may still be held back by weak markets, energy costs or lack of skilled workers.
Trade-offs
  • Lighter approval means less up-front checking; government would rely more on later inspection to protect workers, consumers and the environment.
  • Benefits may go mainly to firms that are already registered and near cities; the federal Department of Industry holds 11,140 registrations, while 386,230 micro, cottage and small industries are recorded by province.
What implementation needs
  • Pass the amendments the budget announces (company, insolvency, industrial enterprises and foreign investment laws) and make the automated 'Investment Express' route work in practice.
  • Align federal, provincial and local registration so a small firm deals with one window, as the Industrial Enterprises Act's one-stop service centre and section 61 envisage.

Strengthen the public employment guarantee13222324

Fund and manage the National Employment Promotion Programme so that it actually provides the 100 days of work, or the subsistence allowance, that the Right to Employment Act promises, using local projects such as farm infrastructure and public works.

Benefits
  • Gives immediate income to people with no other work, especially in areas with few private employers, and builds local assets.
  • Meets a legal duty that already exists and a constitutional right, with a delivery network of Employment Service Centres already in every local government.
Costs
  • Reaching the people already registered would need many times the current scale: in FY 2081/82, 55,151 of 797,725 registered people (about 7 per cent) got work, for an average of 71.78 days.
  • Local governments must match the federal grant equally, which may be hard for poorer municipalities.
Trade-offs
  • Money spent on short-term public works is not available for training, enterprise support or infrastructure that might create lasting private jobs.
  • Paying at least the minimum wage protects workers but limits how many people a fixed budget can reach.
What implementation needs
  • Publish the programme's budget, beneficiaries and days of work by local government each year, and pay the subsistence allowance where work cannot be provided, as section 22 of the Act requires.
  • Staff and equip Employment Service Centres to do job matching and employer outreach, not only cash-for-work, as the ILO assessment recommends.

Tie skills training and apprenticeships to what employers need516268192

Expand short-term, workplace-based and apprenticeship training designed with employers, and certify skills people already have, including those learned abroad or in informal work, as the 16th Plan and the FY 2083/84 budget propose.

Benefits
  • Can raise productivity and wages and help young people, who face the highest unemployment, enter work.
  • Certification gives returning migrants and informal workers proof of skills that employers can trust.
Costs
  • The 16th Plan's own targets imply a large scale-up: from 19.6 thousand to 85 thousand short-term trainees a year, and from 153 to 15,000 workplace-based trainings.
  • Training works only if jobs exist at the end; without growth in hiring, newly trained people may still migrate.
Trade-offs
  • Employer-led design makes training more relevant but can favour sectors and places where organised employers already exist.
What implementation needs
  • Implement the National Qualifications Framework and recognition of prior learning, and institutionalise paid internships, as the budget states.
  • Bring together training scattered across all three levels of government, the private sector and NGOs, which the 16th Plan identifies as a problem, and track whether trainees find work.

Bring informal work under labour protection and social security1219232628

Enforce written contracts, minimum wages and Social Security Fund contributions more widely, register workers and employers, and make it easy and affordable for informal and self-employed workers to join social security, as the Labour Act and the budget's labour reforms intend.

Benefits
  • Gives workers income security in old age, illness, injury and maternity, which most currently lack.
  • More registered firms and workers widen the tax base and improve data for policy.
Costs
  • Employers must add 10 per cent of basic pay to the provident fund and 8.33 per cent as gratuity, on top of the worker's own 10 per cent deduction; these raise labour costs, which small firms may find hard to bear.
  • Enforcement needs many more labour inspectors and audits; the 16th Plan counted 3.4 thousand establishments audited a year against a target of 30 thousand.
Trade-offs
  • Strict enforcement without simpler rules for small firms could push some to stay informal or close; very light rules leave workers unprotected.
What implementation needs
  • Make the mandatory labour registry announced in the budget work, and design a contribution scheme that informal and self-employed workers can afford (only 904 informal and 832 self-employed contributors were enrolled by Falgun 2082).
  • Track the 16th Plan target of raising the share of economic establishments registered with an official body from 49.5 to 85 per cent.

Attract foreign and diaspora investment into job-rich sectors15101720625

Ease approval and repatriation for foreign investors and non-resident Nepalis, and steer investment towards labour-intensive export sectors such as agro-processing, tourism services and light manufacturing, for example through the budget's Employment-Linked Production Zones.

Benefits
  • Brings capital, technology and access to export markets that domestic savings alone may not provide.
  • Diaspora investors may know Nepal well and be willing to invest at smaller scale.
Costs
  • Approval does not by itself bring money in. Approvals (Rs 40.70 billion in the first eight months of FY 2082/83) and recorded equity inflows (Rs 28.49 billion in the full FY 2025/26, provisional) are reported as separate series, and easing approval rules may not raise inflows on its own if other constraints, such as infrastructure or energy, remain.
  • Incentives such as tax breaks and special-zone concessions reduce public revenue.
Trade-offs
  • Opening more sectors may bring capital but compete with domestic small firms that the Constitution and the negative list currently favour.
  • By value, most foreign investment approved so far has gone to services (28.3 per cent), tourism (24.9 per cent) and energy (23.0 per cent), against 13.2 per cent for manufacturing, so job content depends on where it is steered.
What implementation needs
  • Pass the announced amendments to the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, review the negative list openly, and publish actual inflows and jobs alongside approvals.
  • Coordinate with provinces on industrial corridors and special economic zones, as Article 51(d)(13) of the Constitution requires.

Combining options

These options are not alternatives in a simple sense, and current policy already mixes them: the 16th Plan and the FY 2083/84 budget combine easier business rules and credit guarantees, a public employment programme, skills recognition, a mandatory labour registry and further opening to foreign investment. The real choices are about balance and sequence: how much public money goes to direct job programmes versus support for private firms and training; how fast to enforce contributions on small employers; and which sectors to open to foreign capital. They also interact. Formalisation is easier where business registration is simple, and training pays off where investment is creating jobs.

Question 6

Who is responsible?

Federal
Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment

Sets the minimum wage on the recommendation of the tripartite committee, directs and coordinates Employment Service Centres, and sends conditional grants and guidance to local governments for the National Employment Promotion Programme. The ministry name is taken from its FY 2083/84 guidance letter; the Acts refer to the ministry responsible for labour.121322

Federal
Federal ministry responsible for industry, the Department of Industry and the Office of the Company Registrar

Registers industries and approves foreign investment under the Industrial Enterprises Act and the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, including through the automatic route; registers companies.14156

Federal
Investment Board Nepal

Approves large investment projects (Rs 1,716.52 billion approved in total by Falgun 2082). The FY 2083/84 budget proposes that projects it approves should not need approval again from other agencies.618

Independent body
Nepal Rastra Bank

Regulates banks and financial institutions and records foreign direct investment inflows; under the budget's proposal, notifying it would be enough to repatriate foreign investment.2517

Federal
Social Security Fund

Receives employers' provident fund and gratuity deposits under the Labour Act and enrols formal, migrant, informal and self-employed contributors.1223

Provincial
Provincial governments

Hold powers over factories, industrialisation, trade and business; share powers over labour, employment and unemployment benefit with the federation; under the Industrial Enterprises Act the registering bodies include provincial industry offices, and 386,230 micro, cottage and small industries are recorded by province.11147

Local
Local governments (rural municipalities and municipalities)

Host the Employment Service Centres, decide who counts as unemployed, collect statistics on the unemployed, run employment projects with matching funds, and may register and regulate micro enterprises and cottage and small industries as federal and provincial law allow.13112214

Federal
National Planning Commission and National Statistics Office

The Commission sets the five-year employment targets; the Statistics Office runs the Labour Force Survey on which unemployment and informality figures depend.2613

Question 7

What have parties and leaders said and done?

What was said or promised is shown apart from what was recorded as done. Every entry needs a dated source. A missing entry means the position is not established, not that someone opposes or is neutral.

Party positions on jobs and enterprise are still being researched. To keep coverage fair, they will be added for every party with seats in the House of Representatives at the same time, each from that party's own documents. The records above are government actions (budget, programme guidance, programme results and laws) and do not represent any party.

Said or promised

Position not established in reviewed sources.

Recorded actions and outcomes

Funding decision · 2026 (budget speech for FY 2083/84, 2026/27)

Government of Nepal (Ministry of Finance)

The FY 2083/84 budget allocates Rs 3.63 billion to the labour and employment sector, Rs 8.31 billion to industry, commerce and supply, Rs 650 million to industrial infrastructure, Rs 1.18 billion to production-based incentives and Rs 500 million to the new Nepal Enterprise Facility.20

Implementation · 2083/05/16

Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment

Issued guidance to all local governments for the FY 2083/84 National Employment Promotion Programme: funds sent as a conditional grant, local governments to add a 100 per cent share, registered unemployed people to be employed at no less than the minimum wage, in numbers that allow each to receive 100 days of work, with priority to agriculture and public infrastructure projects.22

Outcome · FY 2081/82 (reported in the Economic Survey 2082/83)

Government of Nepal (labour ministry and local governments)

In FY 2081/82, the national employment programme registered 797,725 unemployed people in 736 local governments; 55,151 received work, for an average of 71.78 days.23

Implementation · 2081/03/24 and 2081/12/18

Federal Parliament

Amended the Industrial Enterprises Act and the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act through investment-facilitation and business-environment amendment Acts dated 2081/03/24 and 2081/12/18 (dates as listed in the Law Commission's consolidated texts) (the Foreign Investment Act was also amended on 2080/12/30). The amendments added startup registration (Industrial Enterprises Act section 4A) and revised the foreign investment negative list.1415

Question 8

What would progress look like, and when do we check again?

IndicatorLatest official figureOfficial targetRevisit
Unemployment rate263 11.4 per cent (the Economic Survey 2082/83 separately reports 12.6 per cent for 2024 and 2025; source survey not named) (Labour Force Survey 2017/18)227 5 per cent (FY 2085/86)26 2027-04, or when the fourth Labour Force Survey is published (no publication date reported)
Formal-sector share of employment26 36.5 per cent (job-based informal employment in the same survey: 84.6 per cent) (FY 2079/80 per the 16th Plan (same value as the 2017/18 Labour Force Survey))264 50 per cent (FY 2085/86)26 2027-04, or when the fourth Labour Force Survey is published (no publication date reported)
Establishments and employers enrolled in the Social Security Fund2623 18 thousand (FY 2079/80); latest: 23,210 employers by Falgun 2082 (FY 2079/80; latest mid-March 2026)2623 60 thousand (FY 2085/86)26 2027-06 (Economic Survey 2083/84)
Registered unemployed people who get work through employment assistance programmes each year2623 91.6 thousand (FY 2079/80); latest reported: 55,151 in FY 2081/82 (FY 2079/80; latest FY 2081/82)2623 200 thousand a year (FY 2085/86)26 2027-06 (Economic Survey 2083/84)
People taking short-term, employment-oriented vocational training26 19.6 thousand (FY 2079/80)26 85 thousand (FY 2085/86)26 2027-06 (Economic Survey 2083/84)

Sources

Grouped by type of evidence. Government plans show what government intends; they are not proof of results. Party material shows what a party says.

Constitution & law

  1. The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, incl. first and second amendments); नेपालको संविधान (consolidated Nepali text) — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Gazette publication 20 September 2015 (2072/06/03); amended 2016 and 2020. Part 3, Article 33 (Right to Employment) and Article 34 (Right to Labour), English pp. 16–17; Nepali text pp. 15–16. Checked 2026-10-10
  2. The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, incl. first and second amendments) — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Gazette publication 20 September 2015; amended 2016 and 2020. Part 4, Article 51(d) policies relating to economy, industry and commerce, clauses (1)–(13), pp. 25–26; Article 51(i) policies relating to labour and employment, clauses (1)–(6), p. 30. Checked 2026-10-10
  3. The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, incl. first and second amendments) — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Gazette publication 20 September 2015; amended 2016 and 2020. Schedule 6 item 20 (p. 197); Schedule 7 items 11, 15, 21, 25 (pp. 198–199); Schedule 8 items 2 and 17 (pp. 200–201); Schedule 9 items 1 and 10 (p. 202). Checked 2026-10-10
  4. श्रम ऐन, २०७४ (Labour Act, 2074), consolidated Nepali text — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Authenticated 2074/05/19; amended 2075/11/19, 2081/12/18 and 2082/04/14. Title page (amending Acts), p. 1; sections 10–12, pp. 7–8; sections 52–53, pp. 21–22; sections 106–107, pp. 53–54. Checked 2026-10-10
  5. रोजगारीको हक सम्बन्धी ऐन, २०७५ (Right to Employment Act, 2075), consolidated Nepali text — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Authenticated 2075/06/02; amended 2082/04/14. Section 2(ग), (ङ) definitions, p. 1; sections 3–11, pp. 2–4; section 16, pp. 5–6; section 17, p. 6; section 20, p. 7; section 22, p. 8. Checked 2026-10-10
  6. औद्योगिक व्यवसाय ऐन, २०७६ (Industrial Enterprises Act, 2076), consolidated Nepali text — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Gazette 2076/10/28; amended 2081/03/24 and 2081/12/18. Title page, p. 1; section 2(ख), p. 1; section 3, p. 3; section 4A (४क), pp. 5–6; section 17, pp. 14–15; sections 26–27, p. 27; section 37 (one-stop service centre), p. 33; section 61, p. 45. Checked 2026-10-10
  7. विदेशी लगानी तथा प्रविधि हस्तान्तरण ऐन, २०७५ (Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, 2075), consolidated Nepali text — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Authenticated 2075/12/13; amended 2080/12/30, 2081/03/24 and 2081/12/18. Title page, p. 1; section 3, pp. 4–5; section 42, p. 26; Schedule (negative list), pp. 29–30. Checked 2026-10-10

Government plans & policy

  1. सोह्रौं योजना (आर्थिक वर्ष २०८१/८२–२०८५/८६) — The Sixteenth Plan — National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, 2081 Jestha. Chapter 4, sections 4.1–4.2 (background and current situation, including the statement on foreign workers and displacement of domestic workers, p. 88), pp. 87–89; section 4.3 key issues (1)–(10), pp. 90–92. Checked 2026-10-10
  2. सोह्रौं योजना (आर्थिक वर्ष २०८१/८२–२०८५/८६) — The Sixteenth Plan — National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, 2081 Jestha. Chapter 3: current situation (manufacturing share 5.3%), p. 68; programmes (12)–(14), pp. 77–78; industry, commerce and supply targets table (manufacturing 5.2%; workplace-based training 153 to 15,000), p. 83. Checked 2026-10-10
  3. सोह्रौं योजना (आर्थिक वर्ष २०८१/८२–२०८५/८६) — The Sixteenth Plan — National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, 2081 Jestha. Chapter 4, section 4.4 strategies (1)–(8), pp. 92–95; section 4.5 programmes (1)–(9), pp. 95–98. Checked 2026-10-10
  4. Budget Speech for Fiscal Year 2026/27 (2083/84), English unofficial translation — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026 (linked from https://mof.gov.np/content/1754/budget-speech--english--2026-27/). Paragraph 10, clauses (a)–(f), pp. 4–6. Checked 2026-10-10
  5. Budget Speech for Fiscal Year 2026/27 (2083/84), English unofficial translation — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026. Paragraphs 26–28 (Investment Express, Investment Board, industrial zones, Business Revival Loans, startups), pp. 12–13. Checked 2026-10-10
  6. Budget Speech for Fiscal Year 2026/27 (2083/84), English unofficial translation — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026. Paragraph 30(c) (demand-based skills, National Qualifications Framework, paid internships), p. 14; paragraph 35 (labour registry, minimum wage, informal workers' social security), p. 16. Checked 2026-10-10
  7. Budget Speech for Fiscal Year 2026/27 (2083/84), English unofficial translation — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026. Paragraph 54 (labour and foreign employment; Rs 3.63 billion), pp. 34–35; paragraph 55 (industrial development; Employment-Linked Production Zone; Rs 650 million), pp. 35–36; paragraph 56 (Rs 1.18 billion production-based incentives; Rs 8.31 billion industry, commerce and supply), p. 36; paragraph 57 (Nepal Enterprise Facility, Rs 500 million), p. 37. Checked 2026-10-10
  8. कार्यक्रम परिचय (Programme introduction), राष्ट्रिय रोजगार प्रवर्द्धन कार्यक्रम — National Employment Promotion Programme (labour ministry), Government of Nepal, Undated web page. Programme introduction text (start date FY 2082/83; directive approved 2082 Poush 3 under section 32 of the Right to Employment Act; objectives (क)–(च)). Checked 2026-10-10
  9. आ.व. २०८३/०८४ का लागि राष्ट्रिय रोजगार प्रवर्द्धन कार्यक्रमको बजेट तथा कार्यक्रम कार्यान्वयन सम्बन्धी मार्गदर्शन (Guidance on budget and programme implementation of the National Employment Promotion Programme for FY 2083/84) — Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment, Government of Nepal (Employment Programme Management Section), Letter dated 2083/05/16 (ch.no. 72), citing a Government of Nepal (secretary-level) decision of 2083/05/09. Cover letter (PDF p. 1); guidance sections (क) source and budget sub-head 37100102, (ख) planning and 100 per cent local share, (ग) priority areas and minimum wage, (घ)(2) number employed set so that each can get 100 days at the prescribed wage, (ङ) budget spending and wage rate (PDF pp. 2–6); activity table and annex (PDF pp. 6–8), which state no grant amount. Checked 2026-10-10
  10. सोह्रौं योजना (आर्थिक वर्ष २०८१/८२–२०८५/८६) — The Sixteenth Plan — National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, 2081 Jestha. Chapter 4, section 4.6 quantitative targets table, rows 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 15, pp. 98–99 (row 15 footnote: Nepal Labour Force Survey 2018). Checked 2026-10-10
  11. सोह्रौं योजना (आर्थिक वर्ष २०८१/८२–२०८५/८६) — The Sixteenth Plan — National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, 2081 Jestha. Chapter 2, section 2.6.5 and Table 2.12 (informal economy indicators), p. 64. Checked 2026-10-10

Official data

  1. Report on the Nepal Labour Force Survey 2017/18 — Central Bureau of Statistics (now National Statistics Office), Government of Nepal, 2019 (catalogue date 2019-07-04). Executive summary, pp. XI–XIII. Checked 2026-10-10
  2. Report on the Nepal Labour Force Survey 2017/18 — Central Bureau of Statistics (now National Statistics Office), Government of Nepal, 2019. Chapter 3: Table 3.6 (indicators by age and sex), p. 15; Table 3.7 (labour underutilisation, LU2–LU4), p. 16. Checked 2026-10-10
  3. Report on the Nepal Labour Force Survey 2017/18 — Central Bureau of Statistics (now National Statistics Office), Government of Nepal, 2019. Table 4.4 (employment by formal/informal sector and age), p. 26; section 4.7 and Figure 4.9 (informal employment 84.6%), pp. 28–29. Checked 2026-10-10
  4. आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण २०८२/८३ (Economic Survey 2082/83) — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2083 Jestha. Chapter 8: paras 8.3–8.6 and Tables 8(क)–8(ख) (approved investment, industry registration, projected jobs), pp. 125–126; paras 8.12–8.15 and Tables 8(च)–8(छ) (foreign investment approvals), pp. 129–130; Box 8(क) (Acts amended, startup policy and loans, automated approval), pp. 131–132; para 8.17 and Table 8(झ) (companies), p. 132. Checked 2026-10-10
  5. आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण २०८२/८३ (Economic Survey 2082/83) — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2083 Jestha. Chapter 13, para 13.31 and Table 13(ड) (micro, cottage and small industries registered and renewed, by province, to Falgun 2082), pp. 213–214. Checked 2026-10-10
  6. आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण २०८२/८३ (Economic Survey 2082/83) — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2083 Jestha (linked from https://mof.gov.np/content/1738/economic-survey-2082-83/). Chapter 6 (poverty alleviation, employment and social security): para 6.3 (second, employment programme), p. 90; para 6.5 and Table 6(क) (work permits for non-Nepalis), p. 90; paras 6.19–6.21 and Tables 6(ङ)–6(च) (Social Security Fund), pp. 94–95. Checked 2026-10-10
  7. Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation of Nepal — English (Based on Annual Data of 2025/26) — Nepal Rastra Bank, 2026 (based on data to mid-July 2026; the PDF header carries the date 'September 15, 2025', apparently a template error). Paragraph 41 and Table 3 (FDI equity inflows; 2025/26 marked provisional), pp. 5–6; paragraphs 66 and 69 (private sector credit; collateral shares), p. 10. Checked 2026-10-10
  8. आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण २०८२/८३ (Economic Survey 2082/83) — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2083 Jestha. Chapter 15, para 15.14 and Table 15(ञ) (SDG 8 indicators: unemployment rate 12.6% for 2024 and 2025), p. 235. Checked 2026-10-10

Independent research

  1. Assessment of public employment services and labour market policies in Nepal — International Labour Organization, 2025 (foreword dated 8 December 2025); DOI 10.54394/FOGN7663. Executive summary, pp. XIII–XIV (method and main findings) and pp. XVII–XIX (recommendations, including employer engagement and job matching); section 3.2, p. 8 (Employment Service Centres established in all 753 local governments). Checked 2026-10-10

News reports

  1. Fourth Labour Survey underway across the country — The Annapurna Express, 13 July 2026. Full article (NSO spokesperson: about 18,000 households visited; expected to conclude by February–March 2027). Checked 2026-10-10

Corrections & right of reply

Parties, leaders and readers may ask us to correct an error or add a documented response. Corrections are published visibly with the date and reason; no one can pay to change coverage.

The submission channel is not open yet. It will open once an editorial contact and review process are in place.

Change history
  1. 2026-10-10 — First researched draft of the jobs and enterprise issue page (status: review). (New topic page for the National Agenda; all figures taken from sources opened on 2026-10-10. Party positions intentionally not included pending all-party research. Conflicting official figures (unemployment 11.4% vs 12.6%; formal-sector share vs job-based informality; manufacturing share; Social Security Fund counts) are shown side by side, not reconciled.)
  2. 2026-10-10 — Independent verification (version 2): every figure, date and legal provision re-checked against the cited sources, downloaded afresh. (Pre-publication fact-check. Most items verified as stated; corrections listed in the entries below.)
  3. 2026-10-10 — Moved the foreign-worker displacement item from 'disputed' to 'uncertain' and attributed the claim, with the Plan's full list of stated causes. (The 16th Plan (p. 88) states the claim, but no cited source disputes it; the Economic Survey's work-permit counts neither support nor contradict it. Without an attributed opposing side it is not a dispute.)
  4. 2026-10-10 — Foreign investment approvals and inflows: labelled as different measures in known[3], uncertain[2] and option E; removed "large on paper", "far larger" and "a fraction of approvals"; stated periods exactly (cumulative approvals; 8-month 2082/83 approvals of Rs 40.70 billion in 554 projects; full-year provisional equity inflows of Rs 28.49 billion). (The wording implied a judgement by comparing series that cover different things and different periods.)
  5. 2026-10-10 — Labour Act section 11: corrected "except for casual work" to "a written contract is not required for casual work". (Section 11(2) exempts casual work only from the requirement of a written contract; section 12 recognises oral employment.)
  6. 2026-10-10 — Industrial Enterprises Act section 4A: restated the startup conditions. (The Act sets conditions for registration (no more than ten years since registration; turnover not above Rs 150 million in any year), not a ten-year registration period.)
  7. 2026-10-10 — Employment programme guidance: replaced "aiming at 100 days" / "up to 100 days" with the guidance wording (number employed set so that each can get 100 days at the prescribed wage). (Matches section (घ)(2) of the 2083/05/16 guidance.)
  8. 2026-10-10 — Labour underutilisation: described the 2.59 million as the 'potential labour force' with its definition. (The NLFS figure (2,592 thousand) includes unavailable job-seekers as well as available potential job-seekers; "potential job-seekers" was imprecise.)
  9. 2026-10-10 — Informality: stated explicitly that the three figures are different measures, and tightened the definition of job-based informal employment. (NLFS s. 4.7 counts employees who have neither paid leave nor employer social security contributions.)
  10. 2026-10-10 — Fourth Labour Force Survey: said the survey is expected to finish by February–March 2027 and that no publication date was reported; adjusted revisit dates accordingly. (The cited news report gives an end date for the survey, not a publication date for results.)
  11. 2026-10-10 — Removed unsourced or evaluative sentences: "Every year that this persists adds to the pressure to seek work abroad" (replaced with the 16th Plan's own link between limited domestic labour absorption and foreign employment); "Access to finance depends heavily on property" (replaced with "Most bank lending is secured against property"); "The budget puts its weight mainly on…" (replaced with a factual statement that the budget speech does not name the programme). (Neutrality; every factual statement must rest on a cited source.)
  12. 2026-10-10 — Option B cost now gives exact figures (55,151 of 797,725, about 7 per cent; 71.78 days); option E trade-off now gives the approved-investment sector shares (services 28.3, tourism 24.9, energy 23.0, manufacturing 13.2 per cent). (Replace rounded or unquantified statements with figures from the cited tables.)
  13. 2026-10-10 — Sources: employment programme and ILO documents now cited at nepp.gov.np; certificate issue recorded in notes; locators updated (guidance PDF pp. 6–8; ILO recommendations and section 3.2; NRB Table 3; 16th Plan p. 88). (pmep.gov.np serves a certificate issued for *.nepp.gov.np; the nepp.gov.np copies have a valid certificate and are byte-identical.)
  14. 2026-10-10 — Nepali: changed बैङ्क to बैंक throughout running text; Nepali updated in parallel with every English correction above. (Site-wide spelling for Nepal Rastra Bank and banks is बैंक.)
  15. 2026-10-10 — Published after independent source-by-source verification. Party positions not yet included (to be added for all House parties together). Nepali text awaiting native review. (Editorial decisions: Conflicting unemployment figures (11.4% LFS 2017/18 vs 12.6% Economic Survey, source untraced) shown side by side; informality figures explained as different measures; investment approvals and inflows shown as separate, non-comparable series. Programme documents cited from nepp.gov.np (valid certificate). To revisit when the fourth Labour Force Survey is published.)