The number includes workers reaching the destination until Aug 9, 2011, and working there legally

A report compiled by the Government of Kuwait has showed that there are 47,513 migrant Nepali workers in Kuwait—one of the major labour destinations among Gulf countries. The number includes workers reaching the destination until Aug 9, 2011, and working there legally.

According to a press release issued by the Nepali Embassy in Kuwait, the data prepared by Kuwait’s immigration office dœs not include 3,500 Nepalis arriving there for employment in recent days, workers whose visas have been cancelled due to job switching and those arriving illegally. Around 7,000 Nepalis leaving jobs or entering Iraq, those in the embassy’s shelter and those entering the country illegally are not included in the report. The embassy estimates that there are around 60,000 Nepali workers who reached the country through both legal and illegal means. However, as per the embassy’s data on insurance covered workers, Kuwait has just 12,000 Nepali workers. There are around 33,000 Nepali women domestic workers in Kuwait and two-third of them entered the country without employment permit. According to the embassy, 25 percent of the total workers are unskilled workers and they entered the country with fake documents and ‘photochanged’ passports, falling prey to human trafficking. “Kuwait has less number of Nepali workers compared to other Gulf countries, but in terms of labour related problems, it is probably the second one,” read the release. There are around 400,000 Nepalis in Suadi Arabia, 300,000 in Qatar and around 150,000 in United Arab Emirates. It is estimated that the number of Nepali workers in the Middle East is above 1.2 million.

Published on: 8 September 2011 | The Kathmandu Post