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Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship updates BLMIS figures and organizes “Yay! Gokab” forum to connect active jobseekers with employment opportunities
To ensure maximum accuracy in its records, the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship (DoEE), operating under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment (MoICE), has conducted a rigorous two-phase telephonic verification exercise. The initiative covered all 18,344 jobseekers registered in the Bhutan Labour Market Information System (BLMIS).
The primary verification phase, carried out between May 15 and May 29, 2026, initially found 2,277 registrants to be unreachable due to wrong numbers, non-responses, or disconnected lines. The preliminary results from Phase 1 showed 10,895 individuals (59.4%) confirmed as employed, 2,684 (14.6%) not seeking employment, 2,141 (11.7%) active seekers, 2,277 (1,869 inactive unreached and 408 active unverified) unreached or unverified, and 347 confirmed abroad, which included 187 ESD-matched and 160 telephonically confirmed cases. Following this initial round, the Department filtered out invalid or non-existent numbers and conducted a focused follow-up exercise from July 1 to July 15, 2026, targeting the remaining 2,033 reach-capable jobseekers who were previously unreachable.
Upon completing the second-phase calls, the Ministry updated its database to reflect the final consolidated figures. Confirmed employed jobseekers rose to 11,210 (61.1%), which consists of 6,834 pre-matched records and 4,376 telephonically verified employed jobseekers. Active unemployed seekers confirmed in-country and actively seeking immediate work increased to 2,395 (13.1%). Registrants transitionally inactive due to higher education, training, national service, or family commitments totaled 2,914 (15.9%), while those confirmed living or working overseas stood at 386 (2.1%). Overall, the verification confirmed that over 60% of BLMIS registrants were already employed, demonstrating that the database previously contained outdated records that have now been rectified.
The multi-phase verification substantially improved the contact reach among registered youths. Through the combined efforts, the Ministry achieved an overall contact rate of 92.1%, successfully reaching 16,905 out of the 18,344 total registrants. Consequently, the count of unreached or unverified individuals fell from 2,277 down to 1,439 registrants (7.9%), consisting of 1,316 inactive unreached cases and 123 active unverified cases.
To ensure every confirmed active jobseeker receives direct and actionable support, the Ministry is launching targeted measures, centered around the “Yay! Gokab” Labour Market Awareness Forum scheduled for August 19 to 20, 2026, in Thimphu. All 2,395 confirmed active seekers are invited to this two-day event, designed to establish direct connections with employers and training providers. Major sector bodies, including DHI, ABI, CAB, HRAB, BCCI, and ESD, will be present on-site to conduct direct interviews and spot recruitment.
Addressing training needs, verification data revealed that 79.0% of active jobseekers desire skills development. The forum will feature breakout sessions connecting participants to training programs in high-demand sectors: ICT/Digital Skills (20.0%), Hospitality & Tourism (19.9%), and Healthcare & Nursing (15.0%). Additionally, specialized desks managed by EPD, Loden Foundation, DAMC, and RNR Jobs PMU will offer guidance on entrepreneurship and cooperative business models for jobseekers interested in self-employment.
Moving forward, the Department will institutionalize this individual-level status verification on a bi-annual basis to maintain an accurate, real-time database, with the next cycle scheduled for December 2026. The Ministry will also continue standard facilitation efforts through national employment programs, including the Youth Engagement and Livelihood Program (YELP), Overseas Employment Program (OEP), and Employment Responsibility initiatives.
