Hundreds of Bhutanese students graduate every year from universities in India but a few never return home, at least not to work. Used to the life, atmosphere, food, and people, a few students have started staying back to start their career in places they have gotten used to.

The numbers are still insignificant compared to neighboring countries in the region but the trend has begun, what with employment opportunities limited at home. These students are all privately funded and no data is available because no agencies keep track of them.

Most of those who have stayed back find employment in business process outsourcing (BPOs) or call centres, the hospitality industry, airlines and information and telecommunication (IT).

The labour and human resource secretary, Dasho Dr Sonam Tenzin, doesn’t call this trend a result of globalisation. “Globalisation has facilitated and given more opportunities to work but not started this trend. Information and mobility are free and if you have the abilities, you can compete in the global market.”

Although most decide to work outside on their own, the 13 Bhutanese who went to Mumbai, India, earlier this year to work as customer care consultants for WIPRO make up one example of our youth leaving the country in an organised way. It was facilitated by the Bhutan centre for excellence.

“Mumbai is a great place and it’s been an experience for us but the traffic, pollution and the smell are killing us, we miss home a lot” said Kinley Tenzin in an e-mail from Mumbai. Adds Sonam Tshomo, “We expected it to be like what we saw in the movies but it isn’t.”

Six months on and today they are getting used to the heat, traffic, people, food and life in a metro. “But it’s a challenge, both being in Mumbai and working in WIPRO,” said Sonam Tshomo.

Pravin Sharma is among the few who decided to study and work abroad. After graduating and working in Bangalore for a few years, he went to London to pursue his masters in IT-Business.

“I’m a geek and in love with the modern day technology,” he said in an e-mail. Since students are allowed to work for 20 hours in a week, he said that he is doing part time jobs. “The living standard is a hundred times that of ours and one has to pay tax for everything one can imagine. And since money’s not sufficient, the extra income I get from part time jobs does me good.”

Dasho Dr Sonam Tenzin said that, although this trend is not the ministry’s priority, there are people who are well trained and who get opportunities to work outside. “We’d also encourage them. I think it’s their prerogative and if they can earn more money they’ll only be bringing money into the country.”

Although the ministry would like to ensure that everybody lands a job in Bhutan, they will not stop people from better opportunities abroad, said labour officials.

Parents, however, don’t like the idea of their children working abroad. “We don’t like it and are worried all the time because it’s not the same as working in your own homeland,” said Dolma Tshering, whose daughter has been working as an airhostess with Qatar Airlines in Dubai for the past three years.

Jochu is another parent whose children are both abroad studying. “Even though I don’t like the idea of them working abroad, if they can make it, it’s well and good.”

But graduates and young employees in Bhutan look up to this trend. “I appreciate these people who can work outside as long as they come back and work in their own country,” said Ugyen Dorji, a private sector employee. Adds Dechen Dema, who is doing a diploma in IT, “It’s good and most try to go out so they can earn more money.”

According to the secretary, the impact of this trend won’t be immediate in the human resource sector and there is no need of any forceful or purposeful intervention. “But the impact will be there when other conditions are not good. It’s a liquid market and, like liquid, it always finds a place.”
Source: Kuenselonline