Record Nepalis migrate for overseas jobs

The rising trend of outflux of Nepali migrant workers also continued in the first month (Shrawan) of the current fiscal year 2011-12 with a record high migration for the foreign jobs.

According to Department of Foreign Employment, about 45,165 Nepalis joined foreign jobs in about three dozen countries in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August). Some 40,461 and 44,715 had joined the foreign jobs in the eleventh and twelfth months of the last fiscal year.

Despite the growth in number, there has been no change in major job markets and nature of works. Still over 70 per cent Nepali migrant workers are unskilled and hired for construction and manufacturing works in Gulf countries and Malaysia. Four major destinations – Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Malaysia – are the key markets hiring some 90.3 per cent of the total Nepali migrant workers.

According to the department, Qatar tops in hiring Nepali workers with employing 15,702 over job aspirants. Qatar has been in top position since February following the FIFA decision to host of World Cup Football 2022.

Most of the Qatari recruitments these days are in construction sector.

Malaysia — the second preferred destination — hired 9,671 Nepalis in Shrawan after the Malaysian government decision to continue foreign workers in three D (dirty, difficult and dangerous) works.

Monthly demands from Malaysia had reduced to 6,500 in March-June period as the work permits to foreign workers had been stopped for a while to introduce biometric identity cards meant for curtailing illegal workers.

Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait become third, fourth and fifth hiring countries last month.

They hired 8,538; 6,873 and 2,088 Nepali migrant workers, respectively. Bahrain and Oman hired some 799 and 455 Nepalis during the first months of current fiscal year.

However, Eurozone hired not one and among Asian countries South Korea hired 393 Nepalis under Employment Permit System and 133 Nepali reached to Japan through individual contracts.

War-ravaged Afghanistan hired some 71 Nepalis in security and engineering sector while Macau hired 50 security personnel in the casinos.

Israel, which had stopped hiring Nepali women since April 2009, hired some 61 women in agriculture sector. The country is opening caregiver jobs to Nepali women from next week.

Algeria, an African country has hired some 44 workers after the gap of 11 months, while Egypt hired 19 Nepalis including a woman.

Shrawan, the first month of fiscal year, has given some hope for women migrant workers too as a record numbers of 2,002 have joined foreign jobs. Government has opened Gulf countries for Nepali women in February and the issuing of work permits started two months ago after ensuring safety measures.

Kuwait is the first preferred destination in hiring Nepali women migrant workers with 942 employment followed by the UAE (468), Malaysia (185), Oman (96), Qatar (95) and Bahrain (73).