LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): Since Taliban’s coming into power, unemployment has skyrocketed in southern Helmand province, forcing the youth to migrate to foreign countries through smuggling routes.
Residents of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, believe if the government did not resolve the issue of increasing joblessness, many educated and illiterate youth would go abroad.
Ahmad, a resident of Lashkar Gah, told Pajhwok Afghan News that security had improved with the arrival of the Taliban, fighting had reduced to zero but many people had lost their jobs.
He added that neither the educated nor illiterate could find a job and all face the same fate.
"Many people with higher education who used to work in high-ranking positions in the previous government are now unemployed and have been smuggled to foreign countries, especially Iran," he said.
In his view, war used to be a major threat, but now unemployment and hunger threaten people, calling on the Taliban to feel responsible and provide better employment opportunities for people.
Ghulam Farooq, another Lashkar Gah resident who previously worked as a cleaner at a school, now suffers from unemployment and is worried about his past months’ salary.
He says the new authorities have not even paid salaries to people for the past few months, how they could provide jobs to people.
He would receive 7000 afghanis monthly salary from his school job but his salaries had stopped and he was unable to pay money to shopkeepers for things he had purchased for home.
“I can no longer support my children here; I can't even find a daily wage. I have to go to a foreign country for work.”
According to him, it is true that security has come but people are facing severe unemployment and hunger and this situation could increase insecurity again.
Pajhwok tried to get the opinion of the responsible authorities about the youth unemployment and their smuggling to foreign countries in search of labor but no one showed up.
Earlier, the central government had asked government workers to return to work.
It is not only the youth of Helmand who are facing unemployment and poverty, but all the youth of the country are facing the same fate.
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