Overseas demands of Nepali migrant workers have changed from unskilled to skill ones in the recent past creating a challenge to outsourcing agencies.“Demands of semi-skilled and skilled workers are increasing recently,” said chairman of Capital International Manpower Rudra Mani Pradhan.“But it is difficult to find skilled workers,” he said, adding that it would be better, if Nepal can supply skilled workers as they could earn much more than the unskilled ones.

Capital International and dozens of other outsourcing agencies are recruiting skilled workers for their Gulf-based clients. “We have demands from civil engineers to carpenters in Gulf countries,” he added.

Demand of semi-skilled workers in construction, manufacturing and service sector has been increasing in popular destinations like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in the recent past. However, demands from Malaysia are still centered in unskilled workers.

Qatar — the second largest job market for Nepalis — has demanded a large number of skilled Nepali workers because of boom in construction and service industries in the host country.

“Qatar is hiring semi skilled and skilled workers to support its need to develop infrastructure and service sector for World Cup Football in 2022,” he said, adding that the country has doubled the demand of Nepali workers since March making it to topple Malaysia from the top hiring country.

Qatar has hired 74,292 Nepalis in first ten months of current fiscal year. Its hiring rate is above 8,500 per month since March, while Malaysian demand has decreased from 9,000 to 6,000 in an average.

“Changing demand trend has put pressure on training of migrant workers,” said president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies Som Lal Bataju. “It shows the government should introduce intensive training packages for migrant workers to address overseas demands,” he said, adding that at least, Nepal needs a mass training packages for overseas job aspirants in the next budget.

Currently, the country is exporting unskilled workers. According to Department of Foreign Employment, 71 per cent of Nepali migrant workers, who are leaving for foreign jobs are unskilled, 27 per cent semi-skilled and two per cent are skill worker.

According to the official record, around 3,00,000 Nepalis are in overseas jobs and the changing trend has started gradually affecting their jobs too. “The changing trend will affect our overseas market in next three to five years,” said labour expert Dr Chiranjivi Nepal. “The government should start massive training packages to the aspirant workers,” he said, adding that Nepal could lose overseas job market in coming years, if it can’t tap the changing trend that could propel the slowdown in the current remittance inflow that is a life line of economy.

According to him, fall in overseas demands may hit the society and the law and order situation due to increasing unemployed youth force.

Likewise, the economy would also face problems because of its dependency on remittance from the workers. “It will create spiral effect, if we cannot manage our youth force,” he said.

Published on: 30 May 2011 | The Himalayan Times