Om Astha Rai

Nepal has started lobbying for an additional 2,000 employment quotas in South Korea. If the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) succeeds in persuading the Human Resource Department (HRD) of South Korea into sanctioning more employment quotas in the agricultural sector, over 17,000 Nepali workers may get jobs under Employment Permit System (EPS) within the next two years.

South Korea has allocated only 15,298 quotas -- 13,298 in production and 2,000 in agriculture sector -- to Nepal for this year. Of the total 50,043 workers who appeared in Korean language test held in July, 17,298 workers, including those in the waiting list, have passed the exams.

“Although South Korea has allocated only 2,000 quotas in agriculture sector, we have published the names of 4,000 Nepali workers, half of them in the waiting list, assuming that all of them would not want to take up agricultural works,” Krishna Hari Pushkar Karna, assistant spokesperson for the MoLTM, said.

“But, as it appears now, almost all of them are willing to work even in the agricultural sector. Therefore, we have asked South Korea to add 2,000 more quotas so that we will be able to send all 17,000 workers, including even those in the waiting list,” Karna added.

This is the third time Nepal has asked South Korea to add employment quotas. Initially, South Korea had sanctioned only 7,100 quotas for Nepal. Highly impressed by Nepali workers" discipline and dedication, South Korea increased the previously sanctioned quotas to 10,100. As Nepal again asked for more quotas, citing the high number of EPS job aspirants, South Korea allocated 15,298 quotas.

The number of EPS quotas provided to Nepal is higher than that of any other country. South Korea has been hiring workers under EPS from 15 developing countries including Nepal.

“Although we have been corresponding to South Korea for more quotas for quite some time now, our lobbying has not been effective,” Karna said, adding, “We could have lobbied for this more effectively if we had a labor attaché in South Korea.”

Though the Ministry of General Administration had sanctioned the posts of labor attaché for South Korea and Kuwait and the Ministry of Finance has allocated the required budget, the MoLTM has yet not sent labor attachés there due to the delay by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in giving its final nod.

Nepal had signed an agreement with South Korea in 2004 to send workers under EPS. Over 8,000 Nepali workers have already reached South Korea under the EPS. A Nepali worker earns Rs 70,000 on an average in South Korea.

Korean jobs have become hugely popular among Nepali workers largely due to the fairness of the EPS process.

Published on: 1 September 2011 | Republica