Citing better employment and education opportunities, many young people have been leaving the country for greener pastures year after year. Thousands of young people migrate each day, leaving behind spouses, children and family in the pursuit of a better life. According to a press release issued by Association of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON), the figure stands at an average of 1500 youths departing for employment each day. The government’s statistics also states that excluding India, there are 3 million young people working and studying abroad.

A recent report of World Bank cites that Nepal is the sixth largest recipient of remittance in terms of percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The volume of remittance inflow also puts Nepal as the fourth largest in South Asia. 

Ravi Rai has been working in Seoul, Korea for the past 17 months. “Work is difficult everywhere, but at least here I get paid way better,” he says. He has plans to return to Nepal after six months. “I’ll return home for a vacation and then come back again. I plan to stay in Korea for five years,” he says. 

There isn’t any regret concerning his choice to leave home for work. He believes that the dearth of well-paying jobs in Nepal forces young people like him to migrate to other countries. “We leave for other countries because in Nepal there isn’t a right balance between work and pay. At least here we can earn money according to the hard work we put in,” he states. Earlier, he worked in Qatar for three years. 

Another young man, Shivraj Khadka, is in the process of going to Qatar for work. A stagnant job market and the resulting underpaid employees are common phenomena in Nepal. “Although I’m working here, the income isn’t satisfactory and if I can earn so much better by doing the same work abroad, why not? Youth should grab such opportunities. I work for a private company and the salary is highly unsatisfactory. You know the rate of inflation in Nepal, and since I work for a private company, any salary hike is far from happening,” he says.

He plans to start a business of his own someday with the money he’ll earn while abroad.

The education system in Nepal has a lot left to be desired. It doesn’t really sharpen people to grab the best jobs or even prepare them for living in their own country. Like many others, Shivraj believes that a country like Nepal can progress if it can provide various technical training to the youths. “There are many unemployed youths with certified degrees. What option do they have other than going abroad in search of work or other opportunities? In the end, it’s the issue of survival,” he says.

Studying computer science at the post-graduate level at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Babins Shrestha, 28, is also working there as a research assistant. He was working in Nepal before he decided to follow his friends to the US. “I had a good job but since most of my friends were leaving for abroad one by one, I didn’t have anyone to hang out with and my social life was zero. My parents wanted me to settle down and I decided to rather study abroad, get some international exposure and see the world around,” he explains.

Shrestha says that while the Nepali community is not big here, he doesn’t feel lonely like he did back in Nepal. 

However, keeping a positive view on youth migration, Bijay Gorkhali, 32, says “If they go abroad for a couple of years and return home to invest the money they’ve earned while there, it’s a good thing. Experience and new skills are also the fruits of staying abroad. Most youths who’ve come back after working abroad have a different attitude – in a positive way.”

Gorkhali, who works as the Operation in charge for Himal Remit, has worked in the remittance field in Dubai for three years. “I was working for my relatives’ silver handicraft business when I got the opportunity to train in remittance at the Himalayan Bank. The training was really helpful and I was convinced that I’d not have any problem abroad if I went through the bank. My experience there was a good one. At least I was able to learn a lot and also earn well. It’s that experience that helped me earn this job here in Nepal.”

The political instability and lack of job security compels youth to go abroad, he believes. But he cautions young people to be sure about where they are headed otherwise, they’ll just get stranded. “I’m happy with my job right now, and I don’t have any immediate plans to go abroad. However, if I get a good opportunity where I can earn more by doing similar work, I’ll definitely consider going abroad again,” he concludes.

If the government invests in industries that will generate jobs for the youth, our young people will not need to leave their homes in such large hordes. “The government should be capable of providing jobs for all of us as well as provide us with a good salary,” Ravi states.

Securing the rights of Nepali migrant workers Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee (PNCC) works to secure the rights of Nepali migrant workers and also helps to educate them on that issue. Pre-departure orientation, rescue mechanism and policy advocacy are some of the core themes around which much of the works done by PNCC revolve. Chairman of the organization, Mahendra Pande says, “Most of the members are returnees from the Gulf countries. We started back in 1998 in Saudi Arabia with the mission to rescue distressed migrant workers there and we formally registered in Nepal in 2009. Now, we work keeping in mind the perspectives of workers’ rights.”

PNCC is involved in a variety of works, like buying return tickets for troubled workers, looking into the cases of imprisoned migrant workers, helping family members bring home the bodies of the deceased and handling cases of fraud by the manpower agencies. The organization has information centers in seven districts – Palpa, Jhapa, Mahottari, Makwanpur, Chitwan, Kanchanpur and Rukum.  “We also have a shelter in our office where we can accommodate 15 people who need a place to stay during the reintegration program,” he says.

Published on: 12 August 2013 | Republica