Ironically, employment opportunities are poor in an industry with enormous potential of employing Bhutanese youth. While lack of job security in an industry, which is itself unsure of its next work, is the main reason for Bhutanese youth not considering working in the construction industry, working with crowbars and hammers is seen as ignominious in our society.

Although expatriates have helped fill the vacuum so far, the fear looming in the minds of policy makers is the country’s inability to retain the knowledge and skills from the wandering expatriates and there not being enough Bhutanese to work when the country’s economy fully picks up.

We’ll be at the starting line. To address the first issue, the government might consider bringing in separate business entities to train and maintain a Bhutanese workforce, who, on demand from contractors, could be deputed, which if not enough, could be filled with expatriate workers.

Considering the small pool of skilled Bhutanese workers for increasing demand in the construction sector, workers remaining jobless will be rare.

Besides, that would warrant switching to mechanisation. This again takes care of Bhutanese youth looking at work in the construction industry as plebeian.

The government, while according utmost attention to streamlining and reorganising the industry, might consider these salient aspects of the industry, which in the long run would bring about beneficial outcome to the nation, from a small but skilled workforce retained within the country.

Meanwhile, as the country ups its pace towards modernisation, it calls for professionalism more than ever, in an industry driven with unethical and inappropriate practices.

Over the years, the construction industry has been alleged as the country’s most corrupt sector. Allegations of collusion between contractors and authorities and contractors, in their vested interest to pocket higher gains, delivering shoddy services is rife in the industry.

Here again the government’s intervention would be useful. It could begin by first simplifying the tender documents, which are repetitive and subject to varied interpretations.

When government servants have not had the patience to diligently peruse the lofty document themselves, how can contractors, many of whom are uneducated, be expected to pore through them? There is also a need for the government to look at other construction related industries, such as sawmills, stone chips and wood industries, which could provide standardised services to the construction industry.