Shimla: Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the Labour and Employment department to develop a dedicated website and mobile application to empower youth seeking employment opportunities abroad. This digital platform will compile comprehensive data of aspirants, ensuring better transparency, accessibility, and protection while securing overseas jobs.
He said, “Youth of Himachal Pradesh are hardworking, honest and capable. The State Government is committed to helping them secure well-paying jobs abroad and protect them from potential exploitation”
The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation (HPSEDC) has received the license as registered recruitment agency. He instructed HPSEDC to collaborate with certified training agencies to enhance the skill development of youth of the State in line with international job market requirements.
He stated that each year, approximately 10,000 youth from Himachal Pradesh travel abroad in search of employment, while another 5,000 pursue higher education. However, due to limited access to accurate information and proper guidance, these numbers remain lower than their potential. In 2023–24, Himachalis working overseas sent remittances totaling Rs. 2,030 crore from overseas, accounting for nearly 0.2 percent of the national remittance figures, a significant contribution considering the State’s relatively small population.
Sh. Sukhu said that there is a strong demand for professionals such as nurses, waiters, healthcare workers, clerks, drivers (light and heavy duty), machine operators, security guards, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, masons, welders, and mechanics in foreign countries. He emphasized that skilled youth from Himachal Pradesh are available in these trades and HPSEDC will actively facilitate their overseas placements.
He also directed the Labour and Employment Department to launch awareness campaigns to inform youth about safe and legitimate pathways to overseas employment, encouraging them to go abroad only through registered recruitment agencies. Additionally, he instructed the department to study the overseas employment models of Kerala and Telangana to draft an effective strategy for Himachal Pradesh. It is notable that Kerala has the highest rate of overseas employment in the country, with 57.94 individuals out of every 1,000 working abroad, while in Himachal Pradesh, the number stands at just 5.36 per 1,000, he added.
The Chief Minister also instructed the department to develop database of Himachali NRIs.
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, MLA Suresh Kumar, Chief Minister’s Political Advisor Sunil Sharma, Principal Advisor (Media) to Chief Minister Naresh Chauhan, Chairman of Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Nardev Kanwar, Secretaries Priyanka Basu and Rakhil Kahlon, Labour Commissioner Virender Sharma and Protector of Emigrants, Ministry of External Affairs Yashu Deep Singh were also present in the meeting.
