KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 14
The government has recently signed two memoranda of understandings with two European Union Countries - Germany and Romania - with the objective of finding new job markets for Nepali migrant workers where they could get real price for their service and social security protection.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security Dandu Raj Ghimire said the government had been talking to France, Portugal and some other European countries as well to sign MoUs so as to facilitate Nepali migrant workers to work in those countries.
Ghimire said European job market was important as it offered decent working conditions for migrant workers.
According to Ghimire, Nepal signed general MoU with Romania where all types of workers could go and work, adding, "Private recruiting agencies will have their roles to play for this purpose."
The objective of the MoUs with Germany is to send skilled workers there under government-to-government agencies. German government will upgrade Nepali workers' skill before employing them there. "The government will have to sign protocols before the MoUs are implemented," said Ghimire. He said the government wanted the recruiting agencies in Nepal to adhere to professional norms and do their jobs honestly complying with all the rules and regulations.
Founder member of People Forum for Human Rights Nepal, also known as People Forum, Shom Prasad Luitel said Nepal's signing of memorandum of understanding with the two members of European Union - Germany and Romania -opened new job markets for Nepali youths seeking employment in foreign countries.
Luitel said Nepali migrant workers were mainly concentrated in Gulf countries and Malaysia which were not offering all the benefits and rights that the workers were entitled to under international laws, and hence the two MoUs that created opportunities in Europe were important for Nepali migrant workers.
"However, the governments of European countries and recruiting companies in those countries care more about compliance with human rights and ethical recruiting norms which our government bodies and recruiting agencies need to fully comply with."
President of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies Rajendra Bhandari said the government's efforts to expand job markets for Nepali migrant workers and to sign MoUs with European countries was commendable but the best thing would be leaving the facilitation process to private recruiting agencies.
He further said Europe was promising job markets for Nepali migrant workers where there was high demand of both skilled and unskilled workers due to shrinking population and expanding industrial production.
"Those going to Europe to work need to enhance their skills as even those working in agriculture and industrial sectors will be required to use machines.
So, Nepalis wishing to work in Europe will enhance their skills in Nepal and that will ultimately benefit the country," Bhandari said and added that job markets in the Gulf counties and Malaysia did not help enhance Nepali migrant workers' skills.
Bhandari, however, urged the government agencies to ease labour certification process as many manpower agencies who found job opportunities in 42-43 European countries and other developed countries were not getting their demands approved by the government agencies, particularly Nepali missions abroad.
He said manpower agencies had got the offer of 35,000 workers demanded in European countries which he expected to increase in the coming years. "All the countries of the world are being converted into a global village and we hope to send our migrant workers to all the countries of the world, including Canada and USA, in the next 20 years," he added.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 15, 2023, of The Himalayan Times
