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Ministry of Commerce And Supplies - Enhanced Integrated ...

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N T I S2010Market Attractiveness IndexNo MAI could be calculated for this sector due to a lack <strong>of</strong> data.Index 4: Socio-economic ImpactCurrent Employment and Job-Creation Prospect: There are no reliable estimates for the number <strong>of</strong> employeesin the industry, except for a 2004 survey by MDT. According to that survey, around 16,000 pr<strong>of</strong>essional ITworkers existed in Nepal in 2004, <strong>of</strong> which only a small share <strong>of</strong> around 1,100 were working in export-orientedcompanies. Estimate in this study, based on interviews with industry experts and several companies, is 2,500employees in export-oriented companies.The average salary was estimated to be US$400 per month in 2004 (MDT). Currently, programmers <strong>of</strong>ten earnwell above US$500 a month, with salaries reaching US$2,000 in some cases.Gender Impact: In 2004, only 14 per cent <strong>of</strong> the employees in the sector were female (MDT, 2004). Similarto other countries, many areas within IT such as programming are male-dominated, but this is not necessarilytrue for other services, such as graphic designing or call centres.Contribution to Skill Development: We rank the sector as very high in terms <strong>of</strong> skill development. The industryprovides very good rewards for skilled IT personnel; so it is a major incentive for people to acquire skills suchas programming. Some <strong>of</strong> the companies provide in-house training for new staff.Impact on Development <strong>of</strong> Disadvantaged Regions: The 2004 MDT survey estimates that 69 per cent <strong>of</strong> the ITworkers are located in Kathmandu valley and 31 per cent in urban centres outside the valley. Industry sourcestold ITC that currently most <strong>of</strong> the export-oriented IT companies are located in Kathmandu. In any case, theprospect for such services to be located in remote rural areas is very limited.Energy and Water Constraints: The cost <strong>of</strong> electricity is not a major cost factor for IT firms, but a regularsupply <strong>of</strong> electricity is obviously necessary, which is a major constraint at the moment, with load shedding<strong>of</strong> up to 18 hours a day. Even the availability <strong>of</strong> fuel for backup power has been a problem at times. Backuppower is also about four times as expensive as electricity from the grid.Environmental Impact: none104NEPAL TRADE INTEGRATION STRATEGY 2010BACKGROUND REPORT

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