In Bhutan’s labour market, an unusual contradiction has persisted. Private companies say they have jobs but struggle to find people willing or able to fill them. Young people entering the workforce tell a different story: they are ready to work, but often do not know where the opportunities are — or find themselves caught in the familiar trap of needing experience to get the experience that comes with a first job.
A recent two-day employment initiative, YaY-Gokab, sought to narrow that divide by doing something deceptively simple: putting employers and jobseekers in the same room.
Organised as part of the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship’s efforts to strengthen employment services, the programme brought together 17 private employers and training providers offering 227 positions. More than 400 jobseekers attended over the two days, many looking for an opportunity to enter the workforce immediately.
By the end of the programme, around 35 people had secured jobs on the spot, across occupations ranging from technicians, plumbers and drivers to hospitality and administrative positions.
For private companies accustomed to vacancies remaining unfilled despite repeated advertisements, direct access to potential recruits was among the programme’s biggest attractions.
“Such programmes are very important. In the private sector, we are always short of human resources. But even when we announce a vacancy, it is challenging to find people to work for us,” said Rinchen Dorji, General Manager of the HR and Admin Division at Vajra Builders Private Limited.
The problem, however, was not simply one of bringing employers to an event. The department first had to understand why many jobseekers were not reaching the opportunities already available to them.
Since May, officials have been contacting registered jobseekers individually, speaking to them about their circumstances, aspirations and the support they require. Those conversations exposed an information gap that had previously been easy to overlook.
“When we reached out to the registered jobseekers, we found they did not know about the opportunities available, or how to venture into training. That was the gap,” said Tshering Yangki, Programme Officer with the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship.
“They had the potential, but we, as the implementer, had assumed they would know we exist as a department, that they would know we could help them. Instead, it was about shifting that mindset, going closer to them and asking: how should we help you?”
YaY-Gokab grew out of that change in approach — from waiting for jobseekers to seek assistance to actively identifying and connecting with them.
The challenge is particularly acute for younger Bhutanese. Although overall unemployment remains low, unemployment among those aged 15 to 24 is about five times higher. For graduates attempting to secure their first job, the requirement for previous work experience can make entry into the labour market particularly difficult.
Prena Thapa, a university graduate who attended the programme, said she had initially assumed her lack of experience would leave her with few options.
“At first, I thought that as a fresher we won’t get much opportunity; they want everyone to be experienced. So here, it was like, even if you’re not experienced, you can come and interview with us,” she said.
For others, the programme provided not only access to vacancies but an introduction to the mechanics of finding work.
“We did not know where to go or what to do, and this actually gave us so many opportunities, because all the jobs we were looking for were just around us,” said graduate Namgyel Dema Norbu.
“I also got to learn so many things, like what documents to carry, how confident you have to be when they ask questions, and how you prepare for a job.”
Employers, too, see value in recruiting young people who may not yet possess all the skills required for a position, provided there is a pathway for them to learn on the job.
“We came to employ our young people, and when they come to us, it helps us recruit them,” said Yulkham Geley, Chairman of Community for Skilled Workers, C4SW. “We have also focused on an earn-and-learn scheme, where they can work and learn even if they lack experience.”
Yet the turnout also revealed a more complicated part of Bhutan’s employment challenge.
Not every jobseeker found the opportunity they wanted. Some graduates felt that many of the vacancies available were concentrated in technical and trade occupations and did not correspond with their qualifications or expectations. Several therefore turned their attention to training opportunities instead.
That mismatch matters. Skills gaps and differences between the qualifications young people possess and those employers require remain among the reasons young Bhutanese struggle to enter employment. Bringing vacancies and jobseekers together can solve the problem of access, but it cannot by itself ensure that the two are suited to each other.
The department is therefore treating the event as a starting point rather than an end. Jobseekers who left without employment will continue to receive support through its employment service centre, including referrals and follow-up on their progress. Seventeen participants have already expressed interest in joining training centres.
“We will be extending our partnerships and ensuring these are not one-time support services, but an ecosystem-based approach,” Tshering Yangki said.
Her message to jobseekers is that they do not have to navigate the labour market alone.
“Whenever you are in a labour-market dilemma, the department exists to help you. While we extend our hand, we want you to meet us halfway.”
That may ultimately be the larger significance of YaY-Gokab. Bhutan’s employment challenge is not simply a shortage of jobs or a shortage of workers. In some cases, both exist at the same time, separated by gaps in information, skills, expectations and access.
Closing those gaps will require more than a two-day event. It will mean preparing young people for the jobs employers actually need, encouraging businesses to create pathways for inexperienced workers, and ensuring jobseekers know where to turn before frustration pushes them out of the labour market.
But for 35 people who walked into YaY-Gokab looking for work and walked out with a job, that distance became considerably smaller. Sometimes, the first step towards fixing a mismatch is simply making sure the two sides finally meet.
