The number of Nepalis who left for greener pastures abroad declined by 20.63 percent over the first four months of 2012/13, compared to data of the same period in the last fiscal.

Recruitment agencies have attributed this significant drop to strict policy adopted by the government on issuance of work permits, halt in demand approval by Saudi Arabia, and increasing tendency of workers leaving for job destinations via India. 

Data compiled by the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) shows a total of 124,394 Nepalis, including 7,107 women, left for foreign job destinations during the period between mid-July and mid-November. The number was 156,730 during the same period in 2011/12.

“For the past few months, DoFE has put in place strict rules to get foreign job permits. Because of this, many Nepalis are flying to foreign job destinations via India,” Kumud Khanal, first vice-president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), told Republica.
Khanal cited suspension of fresh demand approvals by the Saudi Arabian government as the other reason behind drop in the number of foreign workers during the review period.

Of the total job seekers who headed for international labor markets, 115,174 had managed to get jobs through institutional channels while the remaining 9,220 arranged jobs for them through individual channels.

Malaysia continued to remain the most preferred job destination for Nepali workers, absorbing 49,254 workers, followed by Saudi Arabia that welcomed 27,136 during the review period. Similarly, the number of workers leaving for Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stood at 21, 225 and 15,768, respectively.

Published on: 24 December 2012 | Republica