KATHMANDU: Malaysia is going to be hotspot for Nepali blue-collar jobseekers in 2010, recent developments in foreign employment sector shows. The destination has recently decided to hire over 1,00,000 Nepalis sidelining other source countries -- Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. "Hiring of over one lakh Nepalis is good news for us," said Mohan Krishna Sapkota, director general of Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE). "It is a great opportunity for us and we have to work hard to fulfil the quota," he added.

However, the department has not any official information about the new quota.

Malaysia had banned on hiring foreign workers in manufacturing and service sectors after a report forecast that 45,000 as according to Malaysians they were at risk of losing their jobs.

Following the ban, the source country had cancelled 55,000 visa issued to Bangladeshi workers last March. Nepalis going to Malaysia have also been reduced by two-fold in 2009 due to affects of global economic melt-down in the host country.

Malaysia is one of major destinations for Nepali blue-collar jobseekers. Around 3,00,000 Nepalis are believed to working in construction, manufacturing, service and security sectors in the country that had hired 23,356 Nepalis in the fiscal year 2008-09. Around 35,490 Nepalis have already left in the first six month of current the fiscal year for Malaysia.

Nepalis going to Malaysia have been increasing since November 2009. November, December, january and by mid-February, it has witnessed a growth of 7,646, 7,873 and 10,354 respectively. Nepali outsourcer has received a demand of 14,759 workers last month. "If the growth continues we can send over 1,00,000 workers to Malaysia this year," said Sapakota.

Nepali outsourcers are also excited. "It is a chance and outsourcers have to deal it with honesty," said Tilak Rana Bhat, president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA). "Sending physically fit and honest workers maintaining transparency are the challenges in Nepali foreign employment sector.

Malaysia has become an attraction to migrant workers when the government of destination country exempted levy from worker salary at the end of last year.