Govt Targets 150,000 Green Jobs in Five Years

KATHMANDU; The government has set an ambitious target of creating 150,000 green jobs over the next five years, with a focus on expanding decent and sustainable employment opportunities for young people.

A taskforce under the Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment (MoYLE) has proposed the ‘Nepal Green Jobs Mission’, which seeks to drive economic transformation by connecting environmentally friendly economic activities with youth employment.

The proposed mission places green skills development at the center of its strategy. It aims to identify emerging sectors within the green economy and equip young people with the skills needed to secure jobs in these areas.

According to the ministry, the initiative will link eco-friendly investments with employment generation, with priority areas including waste recycling and upcycling, clean energy and climate-smart agriculture.

The initiative comes as efforts to develop Nepal’s green economy gain momentum. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is currently implementing the Green Job Creation through Recycling and Upcycling in Pokhara Metropolitan City (GCRU) project.

The project promotes a circular economy by supporting recycling and upcycling enterprises as an alternative to the conventional ‘throw-away’ model. It aims to generate green employment while reducing pollution and the environmental impact of solid waste.

Through the Green Jobs Mission, the government hopes to turn Nepal’s transition toward a greener economy into a major source of employment, skills development and sustainable economic growth for its youth.