Sonam Choden had, in the past one year, sat for more than five interviews. Those in the list include teaching, health, call centres etc.

“My only regret is I did not apply to become a construction worker because now I am not getting even that job,” she told Kuensel.

Her search for a job began soon after she completed Class XII from Rangjung Higher Secondary school in Trashigang last year.

“I am ready to do anything,” she said. And so are thousands of others like her.

Although nobody has been able to put a figure, some officials estimate that out of school and into job-hunting youth could count to more than a thousand in Thimphu itself.

“I meet a lot of my batch-mates and classmates,” said Lal Bahadur Rai who was putting up with younger school-going brothers in Thimphu.

He and others like himself has become ardent readers of the local newspapers in search of job vacancy announcements. Lal Bahadur Rai is also a Class XII dropout and had also sat for numerous interviews. “They ask for experience but when they do not employ me where will I have the experience from,” he said. “I applied for the post of a gewog accountant but I had only 60 percent aggregate marks and they took in a candidate with 61 percent. But surprisingly it did not matter whether one was from Arts or Commerce background.”

Almost all the youths were from the districts, they had discontinued education from Class X and XII largely because they had disqualified for further studies within the country and they could not afford it elsewhere.

Some had been employed, in hotels in Thimphu but the meagre payment coupled with long hours of work had them quit and look elsewhere.

“I don’t mind the hard work but it should be compensated with a reasonable salary,” said one who had quit after hopping a number of hotels in Thimphu. “The salary is never above Nu. 3000 where as the work demands long hours without any rest.”

The forum organised by youth centre of Department of Youth and Sports aimed to assess and guide youths to enhance personal skills, develop positive self-responsibility, and most importantly to inculcate self employment aspects.

Facilitators from health, employment, the entrepreneurship promotion centre and the legal office will, over the next few days, talk to the youth on subjects such as HIV/AIDS and STDs, self employment, job search skills, enhancement of self confidence, alcoholism and substance abuse and the Penal Code 2004. The youths will also be tipped on how to face interviews and write curriculum vitae.

With about 57 percent of the youth below 24 years of age today more are expected to join ‘job-hunting’ in days to come.