KATHMANDU, Feb 25: The number of Nepalis going to various countries for foreign employment is increasing day by day each year. In the first seven months of the current Fiscal Year 2024/25 (mid-July to mid-February), a total of 465,508 people have obtained work permits for foreign employment.
According to the data of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), in the current FY 2024/25, a total of 59,575 people obtained work permits in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August) , 57,493 in Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), 53,525 in Asoj (mid-September to mid-October), 70,990 in Kartik (mid-October to mid-November), 84,226 in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December), 67,258 in Poush (mid-December to mid-January) and 72,441 in Magh (mid-January to mid-February).
The number of people getting work permits is highest in mid-November to mid-December and lowest in mid-September to mid-October. The number of Nepalis going for foreign employment in search of work has increased sharply after the major festivals are over, according to the statistics for mid-November to mid-December. More than 84,000 people got work permits for foreign employment in the month, followed by over 72,000 in mid-January to mid-February.
414 foreign nationals receive work permits in Nepal in five mon...
According to the DoFE Director Gurudutta Subedi, the highest number of people getting work permits for foreign employment in the current FY have got work permits in Mangsir and Magh. He said that the number has increased compared to the past because more people are returning from leave than before. They need to get a work permit to work abroad. Subedi said that after going abroad for employment once and returning, they have chosen the foreign path again after not finding a way to get stuck in the country.
In the seven months of the current FY, the highest number of work permits have been obtained for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the department's data, 148,133 people have obtained work permits for the UAE from Shrawan to Magh in the current FY alone. The data does not include the number of women and men who have not obtained work permits for the UAE. The UAE is also the choice of women who go on visit visas through brokers.
DoFE officials have said that in the current context, the UAE is the choice of both women and men. Similarly, after the UAE, the highest number of work permits have been obtained for Saudi Arabia. In the seven months, 91,347 people have obtained work permits for Saudi Arabia and 82,200 for Qatar. Employment in Malaysia, on the other hand, has been continuously declining.
Malaysia had announced that it would allow the entry of migrant workers until the end of May and then ban them, citing the high number of migrant workers in the labor market. That is why the number of Nepalis going to Malaysia has decreased. In the seven months, 18,164 people have obtained work permits for Malaysia. According to Subedi, the department's information officer, the UAE has always been the first labor destination country. Although the number of Nepali workers going to Malaysia for foreign employment has decreased, Subedi said that the number of people going to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Saudi Arabia has increased since the last fiscal year.
The number of people going to Europe has also been increasing recently. The department has data showing that Nepalis are going to European countries like Croatia, Cyprus, France, Poland and Romania with work permits. In addition, Subedi said that the government has also put forward a plan to make foreign employment safe, organized, regular and dignified as the attraction of Nepali youth is increasing. The department's data shows that in the seven months of the current fiscal year, the number of people getting work permits for foreign employment has been the highest in Dhanusha and the lowest in Manang.
Dhanusha has been number one for a few years now. Youth from that district have gone abroad in search of employment in various countries. Although the number of people going for foreign employment has increased every year, other districts have not been able to surpass Dhanusha. The department has stated that the highest number of youths, 24,261, have left Dhanusha during this period, while the lowest number, 142, have left Manang.
