Himalayan News Service, November 29, 2010
Nepali workers in demand
KATHMANDU: Nepalis joining overseas jobs may rise in 2011 following the increased demand from destination countries. “Current demand trend shows there will be a sudden boost early next year,” said Manohar Khanal, director at the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) that has been issuing around 1,000 prior approvals a day.
According to the department, prior approvals have increased from 23,512 in Asoj (mid-September to mid-October) to 30,902 in Kartik (mid-October to mid-November).
Saudi government’s decision to hire 100,000 Nepali workers in next four months will also boost up Nepali migration to overseas jobs.
Decrease in prior approval in Asar and Shrawan has affected Nepalis in the months of Asoj and Kartik due to major festivals of Dashain and Tihar.
Outsourcing agencies send workers in the third/fourth month after prior approval. “Normally, they recruit and send workers in three months of prior approval,” said Kumud Khanal, general secretary of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA).
Top destination like Malaysia has demanded 10,914 Nepali workers in Kartik while they hired 9,215 only. Other destinations also have the same trend Qatar demanded 6,953), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) demanded 4,947 and Saudi Arabia demanded 3,985 but they hired 6,470; 3,441 and 2,780 Nepali workers respectively in Kartik.
Kuwait — the fifth most preferred destination — last month hired 476 Nepali workers, though it had demanded 3,122 workers. Newly opened destination Jordan has also demanded 50 workers. The destination was banned following 12 Nepalis murder in Iraq in 2004 as they had used the Jordan route to enter Iraq.
Similarly, Bahrain and Oman had demanded 635 and 290 Nepalis each. Euro-zone country Poland sent a demand of 400 Nepalis workers in last four months, while Japan asked 272 under Japan International Training Cooperation Organisation.
As per DoFE, around 1.7 million Nepalis are working in overseas jobs.
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