Foreign employment on the rise

Foreign employment on the rise
Nepalnews, 22-Dec-09

The number of Nepalis flying abroad for employment has surged in the last one month.

This upward spiral can be ascribed to rising demand of Nepali workers in countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

According to Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), 17,434 Nepalis left the country for different destinations from mid-November to mid-December, a 17.18 percent increase compared to 14,877 job seekers leaving during mid-October to mid-November.

Last year during mid-November to mid-December, 14,200 Nepalis had left the country seeking employment in various countries.

Number of individuals leaving for Malaysia was 7,646 while 5,218 flew to Saudi Arabia and 2,510 to Qatar.

From mid-October to mid-November, 6,335 Nepalis flew to Malaysia, 2,293 to Qatar and 3,630 to Saudi Arabia.

According to the DoFE, number of individuals leaving for work through their own contacts also has soared. During mid-November to mid- December, a total of 7,171 individuals including 1,029 female workers migrated to 35 countries. The number of women leaving for work through personal contacts was 696 during mid-October to mid-November.

However, the number of females leaving through agencies has decreased to 352 from 425 in mid-October to mid-November period.

The decrease is attributed to the ban imposed by Lebanon for domestic workers and Israel, one of the most lucrative destinations for Nepali female workers, delaying to re-open its door for migrant workers.