Department of Employment & Entrepreneurship
“A nation where its citizens have the opportunity for gainful and quality employment”
Mission:
Promote and facilitate gainful employment through the provision of effective employment and entrepreneurship support and services.
Employment Service Division (ESD)
Guided by the National Employment Policy 2013, the ESD is tasked with providing services to employers, agents, employees, and job seekers to promote decent jobs that ensure productive work, wellbeing, and job satisfaction. The Division is guided by the Ministry’s vision to create opportunities for all the citizens for gainful and quality employment and facilitate the development of human resources that lead to sustainable livelihoods and economic prosperity. The Division’s priorities are informed by evidence-based policies, practices, and tools that reflect the needs of the industries, organizations, and workforce needs. The division will also be responsible for conducting career counselling to the target population including providing career guidance, job-search assistance, and job placements
Overall Responsibilities of the Division are:
- Develop strong evidence-based policy-making that ensures systems, practices, and tools catering to fulfilling the needs of the industries, organizations, agents, and the workforce.
- To create productive employment opportunities in the country by ensuring a quality match between skills and jobs.
- Spearhead and coordinate implementation and monitoring of the National Employment Policy;
- Facilitate overseas employment where Bhutanese can find decent jobs in developed economies aimed at importing long term productive skills and work habits contributing towards socio-economic development;
- Facilitate and support job seekers to gain knowledge and experience by providing placement and referral services through meaningful engagement in collaboration with regional offices and other stakeholders;
- Develop effective programs for both employers and job seekers;
- Coordinate with agencies for employment creation through the Employment Responsibility System (ERS) through promoting an integrated and shared approach;
- Collect and analyze data related to employment and the labour market through an effective and integrated labour market information system;
- Conduct employment advocacy & awareness;
- Initiate and undertake research on pertinent issues related to the labour market in order to formulate evidence-based interventions; and
- Conduct monitoring and evaluation of employment-related programs and interventions.
- Conduct career guidance interventions and advocacy and awareness programs.
- Develop career guidance materials based on best practices and research materials within and outside the country.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive career guidance framework and career planning tools in consultation with school guidance counselors or any relevant stakeholders.
- Develop different approaches and build capacities to deliver programs such as advocacies on employment opportunities, job placement, consultations and referrals.
- Prepare plans and activities to achieve specific competencies such as self-assessment tools towards career planning and development of soft skills.
- Liaise and coordinate with school guidance counselors and Counselling Division of the Department of Youth and Sports (DYS) to share career guidance and updated labour market information through brochures and reports published by the Ministry and other relevant stakeholders.
- Maintain a repository of information on educational, training, and employment options as well as occupation-specific skill requirements/career progression.
Entrepreneurship Promotion Division (EPD)
Entrepreneurship is the catalyst for economic development in any country. Entrepreneurship is viewed as one of the key solutions in tackling unemployment issues through self-employment and import substitution through formation of ventures concerned with production of goods & services. Therefore, the government has placed strong emphasis on promotion of the culture of entrepreneurship by including it in the Start-up and CSI flagship program in the 12th FYP.
The Start-Up and CSI Flagship program aims at enhancing the overall ecosystem and creating a conducive environment for growth of CSIs in collaboration with relevant ecosystem stakeholders. The interventions revolve around six strategic domains of the ecosystem; entrepreneurship culture, legal and policy framework, access to finance and incentives, human capital development, market access and business development support. The Entrepreneurship Promotion Division focuses on building entrepreneurship culture through capacity building, enhancing entrepreneurship events and supporting infrastructure development such as Fablabs and incubation centers.
Overall Responsibilities of the Division are:
- Promote creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial culture through capacity building, events, and infrastructural support;
- Conduct business opportunity inventory;
- Promote entrepreneurship education in TVET institutes, Colleges, Schools, CSOs, and private institutes;
- Develop and implement the National Entrepreneurship Strategy;
- Enhance the quality and professional development of entrepreneurship programs;
- Facilitate critical skills development of the entrepreneurs;
- Develop start-up and business acceleration programs for the entrepreneurs;
- Conduct research and development on entrepreneurship;
- Develop incubation and fablab support and infrastructure for the entrepreneurs;
- Develop and provide mentoring, coaching, and advisory services to entrepreneurs;
- Organize innovation events that encourage ideations;
- Promote entrepreneurship awareness;
- Collaborate and network with entrepreneurship promotion agencies for support at the national, regional, and international level; and
- Provide end-to-end support to entrepreneurs in collaboration with other stakeholders.
Mandate & Objectives:
- Ensure gainful employment opportunities through employment support and services;
- Spearhead, coordinate and facilitate employment creation through mechanisms such as the Employment Responsibility System (ERS);
- Foster and promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and self-employment opportunities;
- Enhance employability skills and placement of registered job seekers including persons with disabilities;
- Enhance employment advocacy & awareness;
- Provide career guidance services to job seekers;
- Enhance school-to-work transition programs;
- Enhance the collection and analysis of employment-related information through the integrated Management Information System (MIS);
- Initiate and undertake research on pertinent issues related to the labour market; and
- Create a conducive environment for sustainable employment in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
- Enable the development of competencies of professionals in the labour and employment field.
Overseas Regulation
Overseas Identified Countries
- Thailand
- UAE
- Belgium
- Qatar
- Malaysia
- Canada
Overseas focal person contact details
Office No: 02-330788 /02-330787
Email ID: overseas@molhr.gov.bt
YELP focal person contact details
Office No: 02-339529 / 02-339530
Email ID: dzangmo@molhr.gov.bt

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Contact Information
Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Employment
P.O Box #1036, Thongsel Lam
Lower Motithang
Thimphu, Bhutan
PABX : +975-2-333867
Overseas Unit: 02-339531
Employment Service Centre: 02-334495
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Media Focal Person
Kezang Deki
kezangd@moice.gov.bt
Phone No: 02-333867 Ext: 144
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