The Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) has sent a proposal to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries on July 23, 2007, to provide Nepalis with employment opportunity in Korea in different sectors.
“We have forwarded the proposal to renew the agreement, which expires on July 22, to the cabinet for approval,” Yubraj Pandey, secretary at the MoLTM told myrepublica.com on Saturday. Pandey said there will not be any change in the content of pact though.
“We will proceed ahead with the renewal procedures once the cabinet gives its nod,” said Pandey.
Korea -- which is employing 195,000 foreign workers including 2,800 Nepalis -- has already signed labor pacts with 15 countries to employ foreign workers under the EPS. Under the EPS, Nepali workers can earn monthly salary of around US$970 to US$ 1,000 depending on the companies they work for.
Under the EPS, Nepali workers between the age of 18 and 39 years can get employment opportunities in agriculture, fishery, manufacturing, service and construction sectors. Out of the total 6,768 Korea job aspirants who have passed Korean Language Test (KLT) exam, a crucial criteria to qualify for Korean jobs, about 2,600 have left for Korea under the EPS system. Nepali workers get three-year working visas under the system.
Korean employers have been recruiting foreign workers under the EPS, which entitles migrant workers with the rights on a par with native workers, since 2004, to fulfill the ever increasing demand for workers in the booming fourth largest Asian economy.
More than 6,500 Nepali blue-collar job aspirants have been selected and name of those job aspirants have been sent to Korea´s Human Resource Department (HRD), which arranges job contracts as per the demands by Korean employers.
Citing that quotas for foreign workers have been used up in manufacturing sector, HRD Korea has notified that no fresh work permissions would be issued till August 30. However, workers signing the contracts for work in other sectors like agriculture and fishery will not be affected.
According to EPS Nepal office, 42 Nepali workers are leaving for Korea on Monday, where as 30 including three women are leaving on July 6.
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