KATHMANDU, JUN 21 -
A total of 1,020 Nepali migrant workers went abroad for employment on an average every day in the 11th month (mid-May to mid-June) this fiscal, registering the highest ever daily and monthly departure for jobs abroad so far.

During the month, a total of 31,636 individuals, including 270 women, left the country for foreign employment despite the shortage of passports. The number is also up by 149 percent as compared to 12,718 in the same month last year. It broke the record of the highest departure at 29,555 in a month in the ninth month of this fiscal year, according to the Department of Foreign Employment.

Purna Chandra Bhattarai, spokesperson and joint secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management, said the number of workers leaving the country for overseas jobs had increased in recent months because of the surge in demand by major labour destinations like Malaysia and Gulf countries.

"The demand from countries like Malaysia has gone up significantly," said Bhattarai. "Moreover, foreign employment agencies, already worried about the passport shortage, sent a large number of workers by using passports they had been holding from job aspirants."  Malaysia took in 15,582 workers in a single month in Jestha (mid-May to mid-June). During the whole year last fisscal, it had provided jobs to 35,070, including 59 women, due to global recession.

As of the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, it has already offered jobs to 98,509 Nepali workers.

During the period of mid-May to mid-June, Saudi Arabia took in 6,265, Qatar 5,150, the United Arab Emirates 2,759 and Kuwait 468 workers. Similarly, Lebanon managed to take in 215, Bahrain 142 and Oman 107 Nepali workers.

Kumud Khanal, general secretary of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies, said the total number of outbound workers went up during mid-May to mid-June because of "old demands," which they had received some two months ago before the shortage of passports.

"As the government has not been able to issue sufficient passports, the number will surely decline in the coming months," Khanal said. "The number of potential migrant workers approaching us has already started to dwindle because the government has been issuing a less number of passports."

Courtesy: The kathmandu Post