Taliban Authorities Register 166,000 Returnees for Employment Opportunities

The Taliban administration’s deputy spokesperson announced that the committee established to facilitate employment for returnees has registered over 166,000 skilled and unskilled individuals. Their lists have been provided to the relevant institutions for hiring.

Hamdullah Fetrat wrote on the social media platform X on Tuesday that these individuals, after registration, have been referred to the respective departments to be employed if job opportunities are available. He did not provide details about the types of jobs or the duration of employment for these individuals.

According to him, in several provinces, technical and vocational training has been provided for 6,141 returnees. Additionally, lists of 2,000 others have been handed over for direct absorption into the departments under the Taliban administration.

In recent months, the forced and voluntary return of Afghan migrants has increased, with the lack of job opportunities cited as one of their main challenges. However, the Taliban administration has yet to release clear statistics on sustainable employment rates or working conditions provided to the returnees—a matter that continues to raise concerns about their economic prospects.