KATHMANDU, Nov 7: More than 170,000 Nepalis left the country for foreign employment in the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2024/25. According to the data released by the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), the total number of Nepalis who left for foreign employment after obtaining labor permits in the first three months (mid-July to mid-October) of the current fiscal year 2024/25 has reached 170,593.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become the most popular labor destination for young people going abroad for work in these three months. Many young Nepalis are compelled to leave the country every day due to the lack of safe and reliable employment within the country. Out of 59,575 individuals who went abroad for employment in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August), 17,541 people left for the UAE. Similarly, 18,605 out of the 57,493 individuals left for the UAE in the month of Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September) and 17,724 individuals out of 53,525 went to the UAE in Ashoj (mid-September to mid-October). These numbers include both new migrant workers and those who had their labor permits re-approved.
The number of people going for foreign employment has increased since the last fiscal year. It appears that the remittances will increase in the coming year as there is a high number of people leaving the country just in the first three months of the current fiscal year. According to the DoFE's data, a total of 193,438 young people left for the UAE for work in the last fiscal year 2023-24 from mid-July to mid-October. Among them, 166,040 men and 27,434 women went abroad with work permits.
There is no data on the number of youths who have reached the UAE without a work permit. Women, who go through brokers on visit visas, often choose the UAE as their destination. Gurudatta Subedi, the director and information officer of the DoFE, said that there has been no decrease in the number of Nepalis going abroad in search of employment. He said that the number of Nepalis going abroad this year will be close to last year’s as Gulf countries have remained as the main destinations for employment.
According to Subedi, the UAE emerged as the labor destination of first choice for Nepalis till Katik in the current fiscal year. In the month of Ashoj (mid-September to mid-October) alone, 17,724 individuals with work permits left for the UAE, while 10,468 went to Saudi Arabia, 9,798 to Qatar, 3,807 to Kuwait, and 2,004 to Romania.
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“The UAE has emerged as the first choice of Nepalis workers. Although the number of workers going to Malaysia has declined, the number of workers going to the UAE has increased. Last year, Europe emerged as a new destination for Nepali workers. However, if the European process fails, the Gulf will remain the top priority, with the UAE being the first choice for the Nepali youth,” said Subedi. Compared to Gulf countries, Europe has become an attractive destination for Nepalis due to better perks and labor-friendly laws, he added.
He said, “The number of people working in Dubai on a visit visa is also increasing. A number of people who go to the UAE on a visit visa obtain work visas and then go to European countries without a work permit through India or by arranging it with the immigration office.”
Currently, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and South Korea have become the top labor destinations of Nepali workers. Young people aspiring to enter developed European countries have also started going to countries like Croatia, Poland, and Romania. This indicates that even though the labor destination of Nepalis may remain unchanged, the fate of common people who have to go abroad will not change.
A large number of youths have migrated abroad due to the lack of sufficient employment opportunities within the country. Subedi said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, even the youths who were engaged in small businesses within the country have been compelled to go abroad.
“Even those who have returned to Nepal after working for a period are also returning to the UAE due to the lack of employment within the country. After the closure of Malaysia, many Nepalis consider the UAE as a more suitable option compared to other Gulf countries. For many Nepalis, going abroad has become a compulsion.”
Subedi said that many Nepalis go abroad for foreign employment in the UAE in the fields of factories, cleaning, domestic work, construction sector and security guards. “Wherever there is a demand for workers, many Nepalis tend to go there. However, most of the destinations where Nepali workers went offer lower wages and fewer benefits.
According to the DoFE’s information officer Subedi, the UAE is a safe destination for Asian and African citizens to live and work. “Among the foreign workers in the UAE, the largest number is Indians, followed by Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Iranians, Egyptians, Nepalis, Sri Lankans and Chinese. The religious and cultural diversity has made the UAE known as a country of coexistence, leading people to leave for this country,” he said.
According to him, due to political and economic stability, investors from all over the world consider it cheaper and sustainable to open a business in the UAE. The UAE has also sheltered millions of immigrants since becoming an independent nation.
According to labor expert Ganesh Gurung, the number of tourists visiting the UAE is also increasing. “We have found satisfaction in most of the young people who have gone to the UAE from Nepal. Nepalis can find the jobs of their choice in the UAE. The UAE has become one of the five major destinations for Nepali migrant workers to work and live. Among Gulf countries, the UAE has emerged as the destination of first choice for Nepalis,” he said.
There is a huge demand for Nepali workers in the UAE in the fields of security, driving, sales, hospitality, construction, sanitation and others. Gurung said that Nepal stands to benefit far more if it can send semi-skilled and skilled manpower to this country by providing them training. Nepali youth, along with their families, have been heading to the UAE for foreign employment opportunities.
According to government data, 240,000 workers went abroad after obtaining new work permits in the fiscal year 2007/08. Similarly, 111 countries have been opened for institutional recruitment and 178 countries for individual recruitment for foreign employment. As of mid-February to mid-March 2023, a total of 1,599 manpower companies were registered with the government for the purpose of sending workers for foreign employment.
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