With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing in Nepal on a daily basis, the country's economic sector is passing through uncertainty. This signals that the job market in the country may face a worse situation in the post-lockdown period, too. However, as part of its efforts to revive the national economy and save the vulnerable job market, the government has stepped up several measures, including restructuring loans and offering discounts on interest for businesses. But the industrialists and other entrepreneurs are not confident that their business will recover in the near future, as the virus disease has kept spreading. It is needless to say that millions of people have lost their jobs to the pandemic during the past four and a half months. Many entrepreneurs are now mulling to lay off more additional members of their staff and reducing pays of others. If the contagion continues to transmit, it could deal a more severe blow to the national economy as a whole. That might result in numerous economic and social problems.

A fresh study conducted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) about the impact of COVID-19 on the country’s economy has indicated that around 26.4 per cent of the enterprises are in the process of cutting jobs and reducing salary and wages. They have felt the need of such an austerity measure for their survival. This is a clear indication of the fact that many more people are going to be jobless. The businesses have already sacked some 22.5 per cent of workers and staff during the lockdown. The virus transmission and subsequent restrictions have crippled many sectors, including tourism. Being a very susceptible sector, tourism has come to a complete standstill since the imposition of the lockdown on March 24. With the closure of hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, airlines and other tourism-related businesses, many entrepreneurs and hundreds of thousands of employees and workers have faced hitches. It is, however, noteworthy that the government is preparing for resuming domestic and international air services and long-route public transportation from August 17 to help revive the tourism industry. But it will be quite challenging to restore this sensitive sector in this time of global pandemic. With the closure of the tourism business, the government has incurred a huge loss in revenue collection.

If tourism activities resume in the country in the upcoming autumn, jobs of an estimated 350 workers engaged in trekking and mountaineering sectors might be saved. The workers are facing tough times to sustain their life and support their family, as they failed to work in the last autumn owing to the pandemic. In Nepal, tourism is a seasonal business. So, the workers have to depend on the earnings made in about five-six months for sustaining their life for the whole year. Since they have no alternative to support their family, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) had announced to engage them with cleaning up mountains, renovating trekking trails and constructing airports. The plan, however, is yet to materialise. The MoCTCA, in coordination with Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and other relevant agencies, now need to work out appropriate plans to support such workers and revive the tourism sector that is a proverbial goose laying the golden eggs.