Nepal, Sept. 22 -- Foreign labour migration, despite driving Nepal's economic and social transformation over the past 30 years through remittances, has contributed little to Nepal's long-term growth. Brain gain, the idea that foreign employment opportunities can help increase the stock of skilled workforce in sender countries, has been absent in Nepal's case. To make this work, we need strategic policies that link our skill-building process to migration.

Effective skill development requires a strong ecosystem of institutions and policies working in close alignment to equip workers with skills that match demand. This goes beyond better education and training institutions, and requires close coordination between the demand and supply of sk...