The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Ministry says 1,287 industrial projects approved in 2025 have potential to create 8,072 jobs, while skills mismatch and access to finance remain key challenges
According to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment (MoICE), the target of creating more than 65,000 new jobs by 2035 is based on the anticipated growth and employment potential of 10 priority sectors identified under the Industrial Development Roadmap (IDR). The ministry said the target takes into account existing employment patterns, the contribution of different sectors to GDP, historical growth, the country’s current industrial structure and opportunities for future expansion and diversification.
The target also responds to youth unemployment and broader labour market challenges, including the need to create productive, decent and sustainable employment opportunities for the growing workforce. According to the ministry, the roadmap anticipates around 15,000 jobs each from the creative industries and renewable energy sectors and about 11,500 jobs from tourism. Additional employment is expected from agro industries, ICT, forestry, mineral-based industries, data centres and other priority sectors.
As per the MoICE, the confidence in the 65,000-job target depends on whether these sectors can be successfully developed and scaled up over the next decade. “We are still at an early stage of implementation, but there are encouraging indications,” the ministry said.
1,287 industrial projects were approved and licensed in 2025, with an estimated employment potential of about 8,072 jobs once they become operational. However, the ministry clarified that these are potential jobs and not jobs that have already been created or filled. It said the immediate priority is to translate approved investments into operational and expanding businesses.
At the same time, the ministry acknowledged that creating jobs and finding people to fill and retain those jobs are two different challenges. Industries are already reporting difficulties in recruiting and retaining workers due to skills mismatch, wage competitiveness, working conditions and the nature of some industrial jobs. Labour market data also indicates that vacancies can coexist with unemployment because available workers and available jobs do not always match.
To address the mismatch, the IDR targets 100 percent alignment of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs with industry requirements. It also aims to ensure that at least 40 percent of new employment opportunities are accessible to youth, women and rural workers. The ministry said it is complementing these efforts through skilling and reskilling, employment preparation and placement programs, along with greater direct engagement between employers and jobseekers.
On the industry side, access to affordable finance and working capital, productivity, technology, infrastructure and a conducive regulatory environment were identified as equally critical.
“These are being addressed through our broader financing, investment and business regulatory reforms because industries must be financially viable and competitive if they are to offer sustainable wages and retain workers,” the MoICE said.
The ministry said the real measure of success would not simply be whether 65,000 vacancies are generated. It would depend on whether the 10 priority sectors grow as envisaged, industries become operational and competitive, and the opportunities translate into productive, decent and sustainable jobs that Bhutanese workers are willing and equipped to take up.
The ministry said these factors would form the basis for tracking progress towards the 2035 employment target. Under the roadmap, agro industries are expected to generate more than 5,000 new jobs by 2035, while creative industries are projected to create 15,000 jobs.
Data center industries are expected to create 2,500 jobs during establishment and more than 1,000 skilled operational jobs, contributing 3,500 jobs to the target. No quantified job target has been identified for the education industries. Forestry-based industries are expected to create at least 5,000 new jobs, while ICT industries are projected to generate 5,000 new high-quality jobs.
MedTech and wellness industries are expected to create more than 500 new jobs, while mineral-based industries are projected to generate more than 5,000 jobs in mining and downstream manufacturing. Renewable energy is expected to generate approximately 15,000 or more jobs, while tourism is projected to create approximately 11,500 new jobs. The ministry said the 65,000-plus figure is an aggregate employment target reflecting the anticipated growth and development of the priority sectors and the employment opportunities expected from their expansion.
