Nepali workers take great leap outward

Nepali workers take great leap outward
eKantipur, 28-Apr-08

The total number of Nepali workers leaving for overseas jobs rose by 22.65 percent during the first nine months of fiscal year 2007/08 compared to the same period last year.

According to the data compiled by the Department of Labor and Employment Promotion (DoLEP), there were 167,785 departures during the period, up from 136,805 previously.

Qatar was the most popular destination for Nepali fortune seekers with 62,045 of them making their way there. This is a 77 percent rise from the same period last year.

Malaysia, which is number two in the Nepali list of the greatest places to work, witnessed a decline in arrivals of more than one-third during the period under review.

The number of migrant jobseekers departing for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) shot up a whopping 104 percent to reach 32,453 persons during the nine-month period.

Saudi Arabia, the fourth most popular labor destination, took in 27,215 Nepali workers to register a modest rise of 5 percent.

A month-wise breakdown shows that departures decreased during the period mid-March to mid-April to 13,375 individuals from 21,588 during the preceding month.

Officials said the election to the Constituent Assembly was the main reason behind the decline in the number of workers leaving for overseas jobs during the month.

Of the total number of workers going abroad to work, 436 are women. The DoLEP had provided prior approval to 19,181 job aspirants during the month.

Qatar received 5,132 Nepali workers, Malaysia 2,995, the UAE 2,970, Saudi Arabia 886 and Bahrain 489 workers during the month under review.

Afflicted jobseekers registered 47 complaints at the DoLEP against fraudulent individuals and manpower agencies seeking compensation of about Rs 22 million. The agencies paid out Rs 4.8 million in damages at the mediation of the DoLEP.