More Nepalis heading abroad for jobs

More Nepalis heading abroad for jobs
ekantipur, 26-Oct-08

Indicating fewer job opportunities in the country due to a slowdown in the economy, the number of Nepali workers seeking their fortunes overseas went up by 10.9 percent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2008/09 as compared to the same period last year.

The destination of most of these jobseekers is the Gulf and Malaysia where a booming real estate sector, rapid expansion in infrastructure and flourishing industries continue to drive demand for blue-collar workers.

According to the data provided by the Department of Labour and Employment Promotion, the number of blue-collar workers departing for different countries during the period mid-July to mid-October rose to 62,769 individuals from 56,589 individuals during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.

The number of workers headed for Qatar -- the highest-paying destination -- shot up by 11 percent to 22,655 individuals during the period.

Foreign employment entrepreneurs said rapid development of infrastructure and increasing construction projects continued to attract a sizable number of Nepali workers to Qatar.

Malaysia, the second largest destination for Nepal’s migrant labour force, saw a 3 percent rise in arrivals from 13,538 individuals recorded during the same period last year.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) received 9,019 workers, up 2 percent from 8,809 workers recorded last year.

The number of departures to Saudi Arabia went up by 19 percent to 12,643.

The four major recipient countries -- Qatar, Malaysia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia -- accounted for more than 92 percent of the departures during the period.

A monthly breakdown shows 19,697 departures to various countries during the period mid-September to mid-October, down from 20,245 departures recorded during the previous month.

Qatar maintained its position as the most sought destination receiving 7,529 workers while Saudi Arabia came second taking in 4,953 workers. The number of departures to the UAE and Malaysia reached 2,198 and 3,977 respectively during the month.