Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday directed the Labour and Employment Department to develop a dedicated website and mobile application to empower youths seeking employment opportunities abroad. The digital platform will compile comprehensive data of aspirants, ensuring better transparency, accessibility, and protection while securing overseas jobs, he said and also instructed the department to develop a database of NRIs from the state. He instructed the officials to study the overseas employment models of Kerala and Telangana to draft an effective strategy for Himachal. 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, the number stands at just 5.36 per 1,000, he added. Sukhu said that the Himachal Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation (HPSEDC) has received the license as a registered recruitment agency. He instructed HPSEDC to collaborate with certified training agencies to enhance the skill development of youths in line with international job market requirements. Approximately 10,000 youths from the state 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, he said. In 2023-24, Himachalis working overseas sent remittances totalling Rs 2,030 crore from overseas, accounting for nearly 0.2 per cent of the national remittance figures, a significant contribution considering the states relatively small population, he added.   He said 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 and emphasised that the skilled youth from Himachal are available in these trades and HPSEDC will actively facilitate their overseas placements.

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