November 8: Gulf countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia that are considered attractive for foreign employment have demanded 100,000 labourers.

Despite the demand for a large number of workers from those countries at a time when Nepal is facing rising unemployment due to COVID-19, the concerned authorities are yet to attest the demand letter.

Due to a large number of migrant workers returning home from Gulf countries amid COVID-19 pandemic, there is a huge demand for workers in those countries.

According to manpower agents, human resource companies have been bankrupt for some time due to the coronavirus crisis, but as the situation has returned to normal, there is a demand for workers from those countries, especially in the service sector, such as hospitals, hotels, super stores and construction.

The demand of workers in Saudi Arabia alone is around 50,000. Likewise, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and other countries have also asked to send workers to their countries. However, Bishnu Gaire, president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), said that the problem has arisen because Nepal’s embassies and foreign missions there have not verified the demand letter.

He said that even though the government of Nepal lifted the ban on foreign employment in August, the diplomatic missions did not certify the demand letter citing coronavirus as the main reason.

An official at Nepal’s embassy in Saudi Arabia admitted that they have not been able to focus on certifying the demand letter as they were struggling to manage workers who have lost employment due to coronavirus.

"There is a lot of work to be done with limited manpower. There is a need to verify a large number of demand forms. Due to lack of human resources, it is difficult to verify the demand immediately," a senior official at the Nepalese Embassy in Abu Dhabi told New Business Age.