The Labour Ministry is currently working to address the shortage of construction workers. The government is also looking at filling the shortage by employing Bhutanese workers to minimize the impacts.
Most of the construction works have been halted because of the restriction on the entry of foreigners following a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country two weeks ago.
“I have asked the Ministry to ready a list in which of the sectors our Bhutanese youths can work and can’t. For now, it is important for us to have the list so that we can accordingly place them. And then secondly, we are also looking at the possibility of bringing in foreign labourers and quarantining them and letting them continue if they don’t have the virus. There are a few of the countries who have done this. So I have asked the Ministry to come up with certain regulations. But all this will happen only if the situation worsens in the construction sector,” said Dr Lotay Tshering, the Prime Minister.
Sonam Pem