Budget for Labour, Employment, and Social Security Affairs in Nepal for the fiscal year 2082/83
The Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security in Nepal has announced a series of initiatives aimed at improving labour practices, strengthening industrial relations, and enhancing productivity, all while protecting workers' rights and interests.
One of the key initiatives is the increase in the minimum wage. A tripartite agreement among the government, employers, and unions has been facilitated to raise the minimum wage to NPR 19,550 per month (basic wage NPR 12,170 plus NPR 7,380 dearness allowance) effective from the new fiscal year 2082/83 (July 2025). This move is intended to improve workers' income and welfare, and the increase applies broadly except for estate and tea garden workers.
Digitalization of employment services is another focus area. The Ministry has expanded the Shramsansar digital labour market platform and integrated it with the national Nagarik App to centralize job vacancies, training, and employment services for domestic and foreign employment. A mobile Shram Sansar App has been launched to track Nepalis working abroad, provide consular services, enable prompt emergency help, and assist workers in obtaining legal work permits abroad. These tools aim to bridge gaps between workers, employers, training providers, and government agencies and provide real-time information for migrant workers.
Under the contributory Social Security Fund (SSF), total health responsibility for enrolled workers and their families is planned within four years. The SSF has expanded healthcare services to informal sector workers' families starting in the current fiscal year, aiming to broaden social security benefits beyond formal sectors.
The Ministry is also working on developing an archiving system and e-library to preserve institutional data related to bilateral and multilateral labour agreements and meetings, enhancing management and security of key documents to support policy continuity.
Other initiatives include the launch of an employment portal to connect job seekers with labour market opportunities, the operation of vocational and skill development training programs by the National Vocational Training Institute and at the provincial level, and the gradual inclusion of all Nepali citizens in a life-cycle-based social security system.
The government has allocated Rs. 4.28 billion for the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security, with Rs. 1.99 billion allocated for the implementation of the National Employment Promotion Program. Concessional loan provisions have been arranged for the "Workers to Entrepreneurs" program to promote self-employment and increase production by utilizing the skills, capital, and technology of returnee migrant workers.
Foreign employment will be made safer, dignified, and more rewarding by diversifying labour destinations and signing bilateral labour agreements with more countries. Additional agreements will be reached with destination countries to ensure workplace safety and benefits for women going abroad for employment.
Job fairs will be organized across all provinces in collaboration with private sector umbrella organizations, and curricula will be revised and "on-the-job" and "apprenticeship" programs will be launched based on domestic industry demands. Technical and vocational training will be conducted in coordination with universities, technical institutes, and training centers to supply skilled manpower to industries.
In conclusion, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security in Nepal is taking significant steps towards improving labour practices, enhancing productivity, and broadening social security benefits. The focus on digital infrastructure, social security expansion, and wage adjustment indicates a prioritization of these areas in Nepal's current fiscal planning.
- The increase in the minimum wage, part of the Ministry's initiatives, is intended to improve workers' income and welfare, with the finance for this coming from the government's budget allocation.
- In the field of education-and-self-development, technical and vocational training will be provided to supply skilled manpower to businesses, an effort supported by concessional loans and collaborations with educational institutions.
- The Ministry's initiatives in politics and general-news are not limited to labour practices, as they also involve signing bilateral labour agreements and organizing job fairs to safe-guard workers' rights and interests in different countries.
