Refugees’ return puts Herat daily wagers in trouble

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Some laborers in western Herat province say job opportunities have become increasingly rare while wages have also declined following the return of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees from Iran,.

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) announced in July that nearly two million Afghans had returned from Iran and Pakistan over the past three months alone, including about 1.8 million forcibly deported from Iran.

Mohammad Rasool, the head of a nine-member family, is one of hundreds of daily wagers who, before sunrise every morning, goes to Sar-i-Chawk Ghor Darwaza along Herat’s 64-meter road in search of work.

“Previously, our daily wage was 300 afghanis, but now, with the return of thousands of Afghan migrants to Herat, there is neither work available nor the same wage. Today, daily wages range between 100 and 200 afghanis,” he said.

Rasool added that about 400 people gather in the square each morning hoping to find work, but only around 40 are eventually hired.

Sayed Nazir, a young man from Badghis province who came to Herat for employment, shared a similar story. “In the past ten days, I only managed to find work for one day. If the government does not provide job opportunities, many people will be forced into illegal activities or even theft,” he warned.

Azizullah, 38, who was deported from Iran two weeks ago and returned to Herat, is also among those waiting daily at the square for work. “I come here every day, but I don’t find any job. I don’t even have money to buy bread and baby formula for my child,” he said with concern.

To address these grievances, officials at the Herat Chamber of Commerce insist that they are working with relevant institutions to create employment opportunities.

Naser Amin, head of the chamber, said that more than 6,000 jobs had recently been created in manufacturing factories, particularly in Herat’s industrial park, for both local workers and newly returned migrants — a process he said is ongoing.

According to the World Bank data, Afghanistan ranked 21st globally in unemployment in 2024. The unemployment rate stood at 11.99% in 2021, rose to 14.1% in 2022, fell slightly to 13.99% in 2023, and was recorded at 13.29% by the end of 2024.

Pajhwok repeatedly sought comments from the provincial governor’s office, the Department of Labor and Social Affairs, and the Department of Refugees in Herat regarding the lack of jobs and government plans to expand employment opportunities, but received no response by the time of filing this report.

Earlier, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs announced that Qatar had provided 3,100 job opportunities for Afghan workers in fields such as electrical engineering, electric vehicle mechanics, pharmacy, livestock, and hospitality. An additional 1,800 jobs have also been allocated for returnees who came back to the country over the past two years.

Meanwhile, Ministry spokesperson Samiullah Ebrahimi told Pajhwok that global restrictions on the Islamic Emirate, the freezing of Afghanistan’s assets, and the recent forced deportation of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries were among the key factors negatively affecting the labor market.

He added that in an effort to reduce unemployment and expand job opportunities, a National Labor Conference had been held, and more than 350,000 work permits were issued to Afghan citizens over the past four years.

Ebrahimi said the ministry, as a policy-making body, has sought to design strategies aimed at reducing unemployment and creating more jobs.

He also stressed the significant role of the private sector in job creation, noting that government jobs in other countries are also limited. “Afghanistan is no exception; therefore, the private sector can provide employment opportunities for a large number of people,” he said.

sa/ma