Outflow of migrant workers drops

Kathmandu, November 14

The outflow of foreign job-seekers has sharply declined by around 16 per cent in the first quarter of this fiscal as compared to the corresponding period of previous fiscal.

According to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), a total of 95,193 people left the country for foreign employment in the first three months of fiscal 2016-17, whereas such out flow stood at 113,159 in the first quarter of last fiscal.

Decline in outflow of foreign job-seekers as compared to the low base of last year is due to less job opportunities in the Gulf countries — the major labour destinations.

Number of foreign job-seekers decreased in the last fiscal as well when compared to the year before as many youths stayed with their families to support them in house reconstruction and

other works after the devastating earthquake.

Though oil exporting countries were facing challenges since last year owing to rampant fall in oil prices in the international market, the impact in the job market was not as prominent back then.

“The demand in construction sector has declined this year, hence the outflow of workers has also dropped,” said Bala Bahadur Tamang, former president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies.

“On the other hand, foreign employment firms in the country have also been discouraged to send

labourers as there is lack of incentives in service fees.”

The government has allowed manpower companies to charge only up to Rs 10,000 per person as service fee to send them to foreign job destinations.

On the other hand, tensions in the Middle East have also affected the outflow of workers to some extent, according to Tamang. “Decline in the number of migrant workers may affect the remittance

inflow in the future.”