KATHMANDU: The Employment Permit System (EPS) has revived as the South Korean economy is recouping after the recession. Hiring Nepali blue-collar jobseekers under EPS doubled in October compared to January.

South Korean companies hired 306 Nepalis in the manufacturing, service and agriculture sectors. EPS South Korea had stopped hiring Nepali workers in the manufacturing sector from June 10 to July 31 citing global economic recession.

The number of Nepalis hired under EPS gradually increased from September and is continuously growing. EPS South Korea hired 201 and 306 Nepali migrant workers in September and October, respectively. The number is double than Nepalis leaving for South Korea in January.

EPS Nepal office has published a new list of 275 blue-collar jobseekers for the first half of November. According to EPS Nepal, 106 Nepalis will leave for South Korea on November 2. Some 75 workers, including four women migrant workers, will depart on November 9 while 94 Nepalis will land in Seoul on November 16.

The Ministry of Labour and Transport Management (MoLTM) has given high priority to the EPS hiring system as Nepalis earn five times more compared to other popular destinations like the Gulf countries and Malaysia. “MoLTM wants to increase the quota for Nepalis in EPS and we are demanding it,” minister for labour and transport management Mohammed Aftab Alam had said before leaving for Japan last Thursday.

The monthly salary of EPS workers is $970 to $1,000, based on their work. Around 6,500 Nepalis are believed to working in South Korea and of them 3,500 are EPS workers. Nepalis working in South Korea are sending Rs two billion remittance every year.

MoLTM had submitted a new draft for EPS agreement to the Human Resources Department of South Korea demanding more quota and rights for migrant labourers last month. However, Nepal and the South Korean government failed to renew the EPS agreement twice. MoLTM has extended the agreement two times for three-month since July 22.