In over two years of Taliban rule, they have failed to foster employment opportunities and essential job prospects for the citizens. Not only have they been unsuccessful in creating a suitable work environment, but they have also contributed to the surge in unemployment, deepening poverty, and hunger. A recent survey by the Biruni Institute reveals that under the Taliban’s control, the unemployment rate and people’s indebtedness have surged. According to the survey, the unemployment rate has surged by 31% among men and 8% among women. The institution reports a 67% increase in families’ indebtedness in 2023 compared to 2021. 15% of the survey participants acknowledge resorting to selling their land and household items. The survey, conducted with 300 individuals from Kabul’s middle class, is reported by the Biruni Institute.
Despite lofty claims, the Taliban have been unable to bring the country’s unemployment crisis under control and provide employment opportunities for its citizens over the past two years. Not only have they failed in delivering welfare services to the citizens, but they have also been the cause of increased unemployment, the destruction of job opportunities, and the elimination of investment platforms.
With the Taliban’s renewed control over Afghanistan, hundreds of small and large-scale investors, due to fear of the Taliban’s vengeful actions, have abandoned their projects midway and left the country. Following their departure, thousands of workers have become unemployed, resorting to dangerous paths of illegal migration through smuggling. During this period, many have fallen victim to smugglers and thieves at the borders of countries around the world, or have drowned in the water borders of other countries.
In less than two years, regardless of the people’s economic conditions, the Taliban, without regard for livelihoods, have continued to increase taxes, collect tithe and alms, extort humanitarian aid, and ignore the legitimate demands of the people. This group has persistently forced many small business owners and investors to pay exorbitant imposed taxes, ultimately forcing them to abandon their professions.
In its latest report, the Biruni Institute published a study titled “Surviving the Crisis: A Socio-Economic Assessment of the Middle Class in Kabul,” in which it conducted interviews with 300 educated individuals belonging to the middle class.
The survey reveals that 43% of the interviewees confirmed being unemployed in July 2023. According to this survey, with the Taliban’s resurgence, the unemployment rate has increased by 31% among men and 8% among women.
The Biruni Institute adds in its report that the families’ indebtedness in the year 2023 has seen a 67% rise compared to the year 2021. Additionally, 15% of the interviewees acknowledged being compelled to sell their land or household items.
The Biruni Institute’s report presents an assessment of the social and economic status of the urban middle class in Kabul and their coping mechanisms with fundamental institutional changes and continuous economic shocks since the Taliban takeover.
According to the institute, this survey is based on interviews with nearly 300 individuals in Kabul who belong to the educated middle class. The survey was conducted between May and July 2023.
The survey indicates that employment in the government sector has decreased by 7%, and in the private sector, it has decreased by 19% during this period. According to the report, from July 2021 to July 2023, the share of families with a monthly income of less than 25,000 Afghanis increased by 60%, while the share of those with higher income levels significantly decreased.
This comes as, over the past two years, the Taliban have dismantled several government institutions that employed hundreds and provided services to citizens, rendering their employees inactive at home.
The Taliban have exacerbated the country’s economic crisis by imposing work restrictions on women. At present, millions of women are involved in informal work, experiencing economic hardships at home, and some are compelled to beg on the streets.
The Taliban persistently eliminated job and educational opportunities created by international organizations for women in specific provinces. Moreover, they actively suppress women’s workshops, handicraft industries, and small female markets.
In Badghis province, an anonymous source reveals that the vocational and handicraft training center, funded by the DRC, closed abruptly after 20 days on the orders of the Taliban governor in Badghis for unspecified reasons. The source highlights that this center trained entrepreneurial women in handicraft production.
In the wake of increasing poverty and unemployment in Afghanistan, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has requested approximately $3 billion from the global community to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in the year 2024.
Previously, the World Bank had reported that with the Taliban’s control over Afghanistan, the unemployment rate had doubled. In a report from October 2023, the World Bank stated that the unemployment levels among youth and women had risen significantly, with one out of three individuals being unemployed.
The World Bank stated in its December 2023 report that the seasonal inflation in Afghanistan remains negative, indicating an unstable economy and a decline in demand. According to this World Bank report, the reduction in job opportunities and restrictions on women’s employment have significantly contributed to the notable increase in unemployment and severe economic challenges for households.
On the flip side, statistics from the United Nations for the past year reveal that more than 23.7 million people in Afghanistan urgently require humanitarian assistance, 17.9 million lack affordable access to healthcare, and 15.8 million are grappling with food insecurity due to the country’s instability.
