Mukunda Adhikari, under secretary at the Foreign Employment Promotion Board, said Hong Nam Industry (M) laid off 21 workers, while one Nepali worker lost job in another company --General Label and Labeling Company (GLLC) recently. [break]
The GLLC had handed pink slips to four workers in January also citing slowing overseas business.
Amid deepening financial meltdown, more than 140 Nepali workers have so far returned from Malaysia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates after their employers sacked them prior to completion of their contract period, shows data of Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE).
Most of the workers were recruited in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
However, foreign employment agents say the number of returnees is far higher than what the government´s record shows.
"We have estimated that more than 500 Nepalis workers have already returned after losing jobs in different destinations due to financial crisis," said Som Lal Bataju, vice president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA).
Bataju said number of returnees may rise in coming days as the major recipient countries have adopted tight policy against foreign workers.
Malaysia - the second largest recipient of Nepali workers - has already shut doors for foreign workers in service and manufacturing sector from two months ago.
The UAE, where the foreign workforce makes up about 90 percent of the population, has already decided to reduce migrant workers by at least 45 percent by the end of this year.
A recent survey by Real Opinions-- the market research company-- shows that 25 percent of expatriate employees in the UAE have either lost their jobs or fear they will, over the coming 12 months.
A total 111 workers who lost their jobs has already received compensation from the government and concerned manpower agencies.
The government and NAFEA have two months back agreed to provide compensation to the workers victims who were sacked prior to the maturity of their contract period on the ground of financial crisis in a bid to give relief to them.
As per the agreement, the victims facing lay off within six months of their recruitment will be compensated with 40 percent of the total money spent. In a case of job loss within six months, 25 percent of the total cost will be provided as compensation.
International Labor Organization says that 22.3 million jobs will be lost in 2009 pushing the job loss 50 million for the entire period of 2007-2009. It forecasts that in 2009, there will be between 97 and 113 million people unemployed in Asia.
prabhakar@myrepublica.com
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