The Taliban’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs announced Monday that it has launched the first phase of a program to send Afghan laborers abroad, beginning with the registration of workers who may be deployed to Qatar.
According to a statement from the ministry, the initiative stems from an agreement between Afghan private employment agencies and semi-governmental companies in Qatar. Under the arrangement, 700 job opportunities have been allocated for Afghan workers in the Gulf state.
The ministry said the registration process will be carried out by approved private agencies under the supervision of the ministry’s Directorate for the Deployment of Workers Abroad. Detailed guidelines on eligibility, application procedures, and designated registration centers will be released in the coming days.
The statement urged citizens to wait for official announcements and warned them against engaging with unlicensed companies or fraudulent intermediaries.
The program comes at a time when widespread unemployment and economic hardship have forced many Afghans to seek work opportunities outside the country. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the domestic job market has contracted significantly, with international aid frozen and private sector activity sharply reduced.
Many citizens say they are now struggling to meet even basic daily needs. “Some days we cannot even afford a single meal,” one Kabul resident told local media. “Life has become much harder than it was before.”
