The number of Nepali migrant workers leaving for foreign employment through personal contact has soared in comparison to those leaving through manpower agencies. In the first two months of the current fiscal year, the number of workers securing jobs abroad on their own increased almost four-fold compared to the same period in the last fiscal.

According to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), 41,314 workers left for foreign jobs through personal contact in the first two months against 10,934 in the corresponding period last year. Nepali workers can go for overseas jobs in two ways -- through foreign employment agencies and through personal contact.

Migrant workers finding jobs on their own accounted for 49.81 percent of the total worker departures in the review period. According to the department, 82,927 workers left the country for foreign employment during the first two months.

Department officials said that the number of migrant workers leaving through personal contact had soared mainly due to the government's new rule requiring workers returning to their jobs to obtain a fresh permit after their initial contract has expired. They added that around 50 percent of the 41,314 worker departures in the individuals category were repeat migrant workers.

"Earlier, many workers used to return to their jobs abroad with expired work contracts after their vacation, and there was no law to stop them," said Kashi Raj Dahal, director of the department. He added that the provision had been introduced with the workers' interest in mind.

The new rule has been designed to curb the trend of leaving the country with outdated contracts and to guarantee insurance and compensation in case of death or accident at the work place. It requires workers to buy insurance covering the work contract period and contribute Rs 1,000 to the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund to get a re-entry permit to their labour destinations. However, the DoFE does not have any accurate data of workers who have returned after getting a re-entry permit.

The department has been preparing more detailed data following demands to prepare a breakdown of worker departures into those leaving through the mediation of agencies and individual contact and those who have left the country after acquiring a re-entry permit.

Narendra Raj Sharma, director general of the department, said that they would release the data separately within two weeks to avoid confusion. "We have been keeping the data of returnees separately for mid-Sept," he added.

Published on: 22 September 2011 | The Kathmandu Post