Foreign employment rises by 12.5 pc

The number of Nepali workers leaving for foreign employment increased by 12.5 percent during the fiscal year 2006/07, compared to the previous fiscal year.

According to the Department of Labor and Employment Promotion (DoLEP) data, the number of Nepali workers who left for 19 different countries reached 199,191 in the last fiscal year. It was recorded at 177,066 in the fiscal year 2005/06.

During the year, Malaysia absorbed a total of 71,074 Nepali workers, which was 14 percent less than 83,030 of the previous year.

The number of labourers leaving for Qatar, the second popular destination after Malaysia, rose by a paltry 0.10 percent to 58,084 from 58,021 of the previous fiscal year.

Saudi Arabia, the third most preferred job destination, received 37,797 Nepali workers, which is a whopping 113 percent rise from that recorded in 2005/06.

Similarly, United Arab Emirates (UAE), with which Nepal has signed a labour pact last month, also absorbed 58 percent more Nepali workers than the previous year. Over 24,700 Nepalese left for UAE during the year.
Number of workers leaving for Israel, a lucrative destination for Nepali women, declined by 53 percent, compared to 948 of the previous fiscal year.

Labour export data by DoLEP shows that during the period of mid-June to mid-July 23,076 Nepali workers left the country for foreign employment, recording the highest number in the month-wise data of the year. The lowest number was recorded 10,571 during mid-September to mid-August.