KATHMANDU, AUG 23: The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has sought approval from the Ministry of Labor and Employment to open Lithuania, a country in northeast Europe, as a new destination for Nepali migrant workers.
The department initiated the process as a manpower agency submitted documents stating that 1200 jobs are open at Lithuanian companies, said Mohan Adhikari, spokesperson at the DoEF.
The department has requested the ministry to fix the service charge before opening it as a new labor destination. A committee at Foreign Employment Promotion Board will decide about fixing the service charge, he informed.
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The government studies the status of a country before taking decision on whether or not to open it as a labor destination, he said. the Ministry of Labor and Employment will gather all facts regarding social, economic and political status of Lithuania before taking any decision, he said.
Besides, the ministry also examines the labor policy of the probable destination country. The ministry assesses whether aspirant migrant workers would benefit from the labor policy of the country or not, Adhikari said.
Nepal has so far opened 110 countries for foreign employment. The government had banned migrant workers from visiting Afghanistan after 14 Nepalis were killed in Kabul suicide blast in June. Later, the ban was lifted for those who wished to re-enter that country.
Reentry to Korea under EPS on the rise
Re-entry to South Korea by Nepali workers who had previously worked there under the Employment Permit System (EPS) is on the rise in recent years, according to the EPS Korea Section under the Department of Foreign Employment.
The first group of workers who had gone to Korea under the EPS started returning home since 2013. The returnees should sit for a Special EPS Test in Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) exam, a new computer-based test (CBT) for aspirant migrant workers who wish to work in Korea, according to Rama Bhattarai, director at Department of Foreign Employment.
Around 2,000 Nepalis have re-entered Korea after giving the special EPS test, Bastola said, adding that Korea is taking both fresh and returnee workers.
South Korea is a lucrative destination for Nepali migrant workers. EPS workers earn much better amount depending on their work in South Korea. The income that they get in South Korea is visibly higher than that in other major destinations like Malaysia and Gulf countries.
