With mixed demand from the Middle-East and Malaysia, departure of Nepali migrant workers increased by a meagre 1.49 percent in the first half of this fiscal year.

A total of 200,205 individuals left the country for overseas jobs over the period (mid July, 2012 to mid-January, 2013), excluding 77,820 individuals who acquired re-work approvals, according to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE). The figure was at 197,264 in the same period a year ago.

The departure numbers witnessed a significant decline in the first four months, but recovered in the last two months (mid-November to mid-January). DoFE officials attributed the late surge to rising demand from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, among others.

In the first half, Malaysia was the top recruiter of Nepali workers, followed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The number of women workers leaving the country reached 11,625 in the six-month period.

DoFE Director General Purna Chandra Bhattarai said the last month saw record departures. He attributed the surge primarily to the rise in the demand from Malaysia. “If everything goes as expected, departure numbers, including those going with re-work approval, will exceed 550,000 this year,” said Bhattarai.

Outsourcing agencies also said the demand from Malaysia has been increasing as the country has provisioned hiring of Nepali individuals only for security guard jobs. The demand in construction, plantation, agriculture and forest industries is also healthy.

Although departures to Qatar did not rise significantly, outsourcing agencies are expecting a surge in demand given the country is preparing for the FIFA World Cup 2022. “Qatar has announced recruiting another 600,000 workers from across the world. Nepali workers will be one of the beneficiaries,” said Bal Bahadur Tamang, chairman of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies.

Published on: 28 January 2013 | The Kathmandu Post