Nepali youth leaving in droves to seek fortune

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, Oct 17 - The exodus of Nepali youths to overseas employment destinations soared by 17.75 percent in the first two months of the current fiscal year 2008/09 as compared to the same period in the last fiscal year.According to the data compiled by the Department of ...

Qatar received 15,126 Nepali blue-colour workers to maintain its position as the most sought-after destination during the review period. The figure represents a 12.77 percent rise compared to the corresponding period last year.

The number of workers heading for Malaysia, the second most favoured country, also shot up by 10.9 percent to reach 9,984 individuals during the period.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) -- both popular destinations for Nepali jobseekers -- also recorded increases in arrivals of 8.83 percent and 18.61 percent respectively. The number of workers going to these two Gulf countries during the review period last year stood at 7,066 and 5,751 individuals respectively.

South Korea, another prime destination, received a total of 254 workers during the period this year.

South Korea resumed taking in Nepali workers three months ago under the Employment Permit System (EPS). It had stopped hiring foreign personnel saying that the governments of labour exporting countries should be involved in the process of dispatch.

Bahrain, which is the fourth and latest country to sign a labour pact with Nepal, also witnessed a significant rise in the number of Nepali workers.

There were 1,310 departures to Bahrain during the two-month period, up by 191.76 percent compared to the figure of last year.

Likewise, a total 20,245 Nepali overseas workers -- 304 women among them -- left for different destinations during the period mid-August to mid-September.

According to DoLEP figures, Qatar and Malaysia took in 6,901 and 4,661 respectively. The UAE and Saudi Arabia received 3,375 and 3,913 respectively.