The Nepali embassy in Kuwait has urged the local employers to increase the salary of Nepali domestic helps to 70 Kuwait Dinar (KWD) or Rs 20,667 given the growing demand for Nepali workers in the country.

“As Kuwait has strictly implemented the policy to hire workers from South Asian countries it is right time for us to negotiate a better salary for our workers. Hence, we have approached the Kuwaiti business employers to increase remuneration of Nepali workers, who are most preferred in Kuwait,” Madhuban Poudel, Nepali ambassador to Kuwait told Republica on Thursday over the phone.

Currently, Nepali blue-collar workers engaged in outdoor jobs and indoor jobs are getting 70 KWD and 60 KWD respectively in Kuwait. Most of the workers employed in Kuwait are working as domestic helps and cleaners in both formal and informal sectors.

According to an official data of the Kuwait government, the number of Nepali workers with legal status or with valid residency visas has reached 55,343 as of July 31 this year. Of the workers having a legal status, 28,653 are female workers. An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 workers are illegally staying in Kuwait.

Kuwait has adopted a strict policy to hire workers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. According to Poudel, some Kuwaiti employers who want to workers at cheap rates have started hiring workers from African countries such as Ethiopia.

Poudel, however, said the demand for semi skilled laborers in the construction sector has gone up impressively in Kuwait. “Kuwaiti employers are interested in hiring plumbers, construction workers and electricians from Nepal with a salary offer of 80 to 200 KWD per month,” said Kuwait.

During the fiscal year 2011/12 a total of 24,575 Nepali workers, 12,495 of them female, had flown to Kuwait for jobs.

Published on: 7 October 2012 | Republica