Why the trend of Foreign employment is increasing in the context of Nepal.

Nepal is the oldest independent sovereign country in South Asia. It is the country of the Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world, and the Birthplace of Gautama Buddha- Lumbini. Mountaineering and other types of adventure tourism and ecotourism are important attractions for visitors.

Nepal is a country of contrasts. Spectacular natural riches combine with a vibrant culture and sense of history. Home to ten of the world’s 14 highest mountains, the country offers a magnificent setting for hiking and mountaineering, as well as some of the world’s best white water rafting.

But despite being on one of the richest country in the context of Nature, culture and traditions, the people of Nepal, especially the youths are moving abroad for their higher studies and thus the older generations and the children are only the ones remaining in the country.

Foreign employment can have many advantages, such as gaining new skills, experiencing different cultures, and earning a higher salary. However, there can also be some disadvantages, such as being away from family and friends, struggling to adjust to a new culture, and facing language barriers.

• It helps the counties economic condition.
• By going to foreign people will learn new technics and technologies use which will also help a lot in growing a country.
• It keeps a good relation between the neighbour and other countries .

According to the reports, a year on, foreign employment has not just recovered but surpassed pre-pandemic levels. More than 630,000 Nepalis left for overseas jobs in the last fiscal year — a huge jump in labour approvals from 166,698 in 2021, and 368,433 in 2020.

Approximately 3.5 million Nepalese (14% of total population) are working abroad; primarily in Malaysia, the six countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), and India.

However, it is not always beneficial for the development of a country. For example, foreign employment can lead to the displacement of local workers, resulting in unemployment, or the influx of foreign workers can depress wages in the local labor market.

The causes of migration in Nepal are essentially the same as those in other regions of the world. Some of the causes of international labor migration include poverty, a lack of employment options, declining agricultural production, and conflict in the nation .

A majority of Nepali workers continue to pay high fees for placements, but there are a few ethical recruitment initiatives that do not charge any fees. Recruiters attribute this to some multinationals in Malaysia have come under global scrutiny, and faced export bans due to evidence of forced labour conditions, including high recruitment fees.

Despite the revival of foreign employment after the pandemic, there is poor implementation of Nepal’s policy on reintegration of returning workers due to government apathy. The newly issued reintegration guideline prioritises economic reintegration support in both wage- and self-employment while also prioritising a range of social reintegration support including psychosocial counselling for those who need it.

According to government records, the most common cause of death were chronic disease (427), suicide (140), traffic accidents (119), cardiac arrest (104) and ‘natural’ deaths (171). Many of these deaths go uncompensated by foreign employers, and many unexplained fatalities are seldom properly investigated.

This remains a dark reality of Nepal’s overseas employment story, and many of these deaths were probably preventable. But as we have previously reported, Nepalis are dying abroad but also dying to work abroad. And therein lies our conundrum.

Against this background, foreign labour employment plays an important role in absorbing a growing labour force. It is a process that relieves some of the pressure arising from 4.9% unemployment and 47% underemployment rates. Foreign labour migration is not without its negative impacts, though.