South Korea is likely to increase the job quota for Nepali workers for 2015, considering their “satisfactory” performance and growing demand, the Korean EPS centre in Nepal has said. South Korea, one of the most lucrative job destinations for Nepali migrants, allocated 5,700 employment quota for this year. And, some 5,618 Nepalis have already left the country till Wednesday.

Officials at the Korean EPS centre said the performance indicators used to determine the job quota have strengthened the possibility of a hike in the quota for the next year. South Korea hires workers from 15 countries, including Nepal.

“We are hopeful of an increase in employment quota since Nepal has the lowest number of illegal workers in South Korea. There has also been a satisfactory growth in demand for Nepali workers. These are the two important aspects that determine the yearly quota for labour sending countries,” said Lee Dong Sirk, human resource director at the Korea EPS centre.

The Human Resource Department (HRD) of EPS-Korea is expected to make the annual quota for 2015 public early next year. Nepali workers stood second in South Korea’s internal rankings of committed workers this year. Some 3,300 Nepali workers who passed the Korean language proficiency test in 2013 still remain to be picked up by the employers. Successfully completion of the Korean language test and skill enhancement test increase chance of selection, but is not enough to guarantee a job in Korea.

South Korean officials said the new batch of aspirant workers who passed the language test in 2014 will be put in the roster later next year. A total of 3,663 of 58,770 candidates attending the language test had passed. Officials said the HRD Korea plans to conduct another language test by the end of next year. They said they are working to make the Korean language test much organised and accessible to aspirant workers by selecting suitable venues and dates.

Fraudsters ‘cheating’ aspirants

The Department of Foreign Employment and Korean EPS Centre have said an organised racket of fraudsters in the eastern Nepal is duping several aspirant migrant workers with false promise of sending them to South Korea. Both the offices said that they have collected evidences of such rackets duping the workers. Officials said the fraudsters are tricking the workers with promise to send under quota reserved for government officials. The Korea EPS centre in Nepal made it clear they have not arranged any such quota and urged the workers not to trust such persons.

Dilli Ram Bastola, chief of the EPS Korea section at the department, said they were investigating the matter following complaints. Officials said they have come across some misleading news reports about the EPS center in the social media and online portals. The reports reportedly stated about postponement of the South Korean language proficiency test for some years and Korea’s preparation to hire workers through the CBT language test. “None of these reports are true. We plan to hold language test every years and there will not be any change in our provisions as reported. I would strongly urge the concerned authorizes to take action against these fraudsters,” said Lee Dong Sirk. (PR)

Published on: 11 December 2014 | The Kathmandu Post