Officials said the growth in the departure of Nepali workers to Saudi Arabia is encouraging, considering the decreasing number of workers during the period in other leading destinations.
Data compiled by the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) shows that the number of workers leaving for Saudi Arabia during last two months that ended in mid- September rose to 13,714, up from 5,518 recorded during the same period last year.
Foreign employment agents said rapid development of infrastructure sector in Saudi Arabia has created more job opportunities, despite the world economy still reeling under the effect of ongoing financial crisis.
“More than 90 percent of Nepalis in Saudi Arabia are employed in construction sector and the growth in this sector has fueled demands of blue-collar workers,” Som Bataju, vice president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agents (NAFEA), told myrepublica.com. Most of the Nepali workers in Saudi Arabia, home to more than 500,000 Nepalis, work in construction, agriculture, hotel and service sectors.
However, the number of Nepali overseas workers dipped by 12.63 percent to 42,033 during the review period, compared to 48,111 recorded last year. Total workers leaving for Malaysia, the second largest destination for Nepalis, declined by 10.26 percent to 9,210 as the booming East Asian economy has closed its door for foreign workers in manufacturing and service sector from the beginning of this year.
Qatar, which is home to more than 200,000 Nepalis, received 9,545 workers during the last two month, which is down by a whopping 42 percent as compared to last year. The UAE, hit hard by the global financial meltdown, saw 25 percent decline in the arrival of Nepali workers. Only 5,603 Nepali workers left for UAE during the last two months.
The number of workers leaving for overseas jobs has been gradually increasing amid reports of improvements seen in the economies of host countries, prompting them to place higher demands for foreign workers.
“The increasing number of workers in overseas destinations shows that the effect of financial crisis is gradually waning. It is a good sign for Nepali foreign employment sector,” he added.
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