Propelled by deteriorating political and economic situation and shrinking domestic employment opportunities, the number of people leaving Nepal for employment abroad surged 40.98 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year (July 16, 2005 to July 15, 2006), the Department of Labor and Employment Promotion (DoLEP) said Friday.

The report of DoLEP showed that over 105,000 people left for 14 different labor destinations in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to 74,000 for the similar period last year.

Officials at the DoLEP attributed the double-digit growth to remarkable increment in the number of people leaving for countries such as Malaysia and major Gulf countries.

The government data showed that the number of people leaving for Malaysia, which absorbs almost 50 percent of the total outgoing workers, increased by 42.9 percent in the review period. Compared to 37,000 workers, who had left for Malaysia during the similar period in the fiscal year 2004/05, 53,000 workers had accepted jobs in the country this year.

Buoyed by growing job opportunities in Qatar, the second largest Nepali labor absorbing country, the number of workers leaving for this labor destination also increased 54 percent in the review period.

The report said that some 32,000 workers had accepted jobs in this country in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to 20,000 for the similar period last year.

"The country, which is hosting the upcoming Asian Games, has been demanding more and more workers from various parts of Asia, including Nepal, especially in the construction sector. Due to this growing job opportunity, more workers are leaving for this destination," a manpower agent told Xinhua.

The report of DoLEP also revealed that the number of people leaving for Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) also increased by around 32.3 percent and 35 percent respectively. Compared to 7,000 persons, who left for Saudi Arabia and 6,800 who left for UAE in the last fiscal year, 9,268 workers accepted jobs in Saudi Arabia and 9,226 were recruited in various companies of UAE during the review period.

The statistics of the department also showed that the number of outgoing female Nepali workers is also increasing in a significant manner in recent days.

The number of women leaving for foreign employment purposes ( through formal channel) increased around 131 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year to 691 compared to 299 for the similar period last year.

Source: Xinhua