KABUL – Qatar has offered 1,300 additional job opportunities for Afghan workers, bringing the total to 2,000 positions under a labor agreement with the Taliban authorities, the group’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs announced on Wednesday.
In a statement, the ministry said details on registration, job categories, and requirements will be shared soon. It added that the official deployment process is expected to start in the coming weeks, with expectations of further employment opportunities as cooperation with Doha expands.
The announcement comes amid one of Afghanistan’s worst economic crises in decades.
Since the Taliban regained power in August 2021, the country has faced an economic collapse driven by international sanctions, banking restrictions, and the suspension of most foreign aid, which previously funded up to 75% of the national budget. According to the World Bank and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Afghanistan’s GDP contracted by nearly 30% in the first year of Taliban rule, and the economy has stagnated since, leaving millions without livelihoods.
Unemployment has surged dramatically, with the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimating a 35% decline in job opportunities in 2022 alone. Hundreds of thousands of civil servants were dismissed as the Taliban replaced former government employees with loyalists, deepening the jobs crisis. As of 2024, over 700,000 people have lost jobs compared to pre-2021 levels, according to UNDP.
The humanitarian situation remains dire. 23.7 million Afghans—more than half the population—need humanitarian assistance, and 97% of households live in poverty, UN figures show. Food insecurity persists at crisis levels, while access to healthcare and education has sharply deteriorated, particularly for women and girls.
Against this backdrop, labor migration is emerging as one of the few survival strategies for Afghan families. Remittances play a critical role in sustaining households, particularly as domestic job markets collapse.
However, human rights organizations warn of risks of exploitation in Gulf countries, where migrant workers often face harsh conditions, lack of legal protections, and limited oversight.
