Department of Foreign Employment ( DoFE), which maintains official data on foreign employment, says in its monthly report that the total number of outgoing Nepali youths rose to 173,297 during the eight months to mid-March 2010, up from 157,859 last year. [break]
However, the number of workers flying for work overseas dropped during mid-February to mid-March compared to the figure for mid-January to mid-February this year. Of the total number of workers who headed for labor destinations over the period, 164,711 were male and 8,528 female.
Officials said overall departures for the foreign job market rose this year in comparison to last year thanks to an improvement in the economies of destination countries--mainly Gulf countries and Malaysia --over the last few months.
“Though the number of outbound workers fell slightly during mid-February to mid-March compared to the previous month, the overall number increased as major destinations have been placing encouraging demands for Nepali workers in recent months,” Kashi Nath Marasini, Director of DoFE, told myrepublica.com on Thursday.
During the eight months period, the number of workers leaving for Saudi Arabia and Malaysia--the first and second biggest destination for Nepalis-- increased to 39,451 and 54,835 from 33,682 and 28,158 respectively during the corresponding period last year.
Similarly, Kuwait, another emerging market for Nepalis, also saw a rise in the number of Nepalis to 6,179 from 1,176 last year. However, other key recipient countries--Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE)--received 37,578 and 22,566, down from 53,363 and 22,905 respectively last year.
Similarly, with the fall in demand for workers in major destinations including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Qatar and the UAE, the number dropped to 21,158 during mid-February to mid-March from 26,000 recorded a month earlier. Of the total number of workers leaving for overseas destinations, male and female workers numbered 20,563 and 595 respectively during the month.
Data shows that Saudi Arabia and Malaysia received 4,141 and 8,541 workers during the month, a decline from 5,243 and 10,354 respectively recorded the previous month. Likewise, Qatar and the UAE also saw a drop in the arrival of Nepali workers to 4,124 and 2,446 from 5,006 and 2,929 respectively.
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