On the second day of the Annual General Meeting and Global Conclave-2024 held on the occasion of Non-Resident Nepali Day, the issue of managing foreign employment was discussed on Monday. Officials from the government of Nepal, non-resident Nepalis and other participating officials mentioned that foreign employment can be managed only if the government makes policy and structural reforms.

Labor, Employment and Social Security Minister Sharatsingh Bhandari claimed that the government is making policy and structural reforms to manage foreign employment. Addressing the debate on 'safe, orderly, decent foreign employment and social security', Minister Bhandari said that the government is working on 'policy departure'. We are also doing structural reforms. The Ministry of Labor is understood in terms of providing foreign employment. We are restructuring the ministry to include internal employment,' he said. 

Minister Bhandari says that foreign employment will not stop until internal employment is managed. Every year, five lakh people come to the Nepali labor market. One lakh get employment. Four lakh are unemployed. Foreign employment will not stop until they are sorted out. The political and administrative structure needs to be stable. Which is happening slowly now, he said. 

The committee formed by the government under the leadership of labor affairs expert Ganesh Gurung to work on the housing policy has prepared a draft of the national labor immigration policy after 9 months. The draft has been sent to all stakeholders. Minister Bhandari also said that the Ministry of Labor is preparing to formulate a national policy after taking suggestions from stakeholders. 

People moving from one destination to another in search of opportunities is going on all over the world and the trend of going to foreign jobs in Nepal is increasing day by day, said Surya Bahadur Khatri, Director General of Foreign Employment Department. Those workers from Nepal who go to foreign employment are promoting their rights according to the prevailing laws. The role of expatriate Nepalis is important when those who go for foreign employment are in trouble,' he said, 'NRNA has to contribute to the safe and dignified living of the workers.' 

Rajendra Bhandari, president of the Nepal Foreign Employment Professionals Association, complained that due to some complicated procedures of the Foreign Employment Act, Nepalis are making risky labor journeys. "Foreign employment is becoming unlimited due to lack of attention to the legal system," he said. He says that even if there is no permanent government, it is not possible to be decent. "There is a problem because the policy is not permanent when the leadership is changing in the ministry. Even if our demands are not addressed, people are going through a difficult path. Demand has increased in developed countries after covid. The demand letter is not being verified," he said. 

President Bhandari said that about 25/3 million people are working abroad and are becoming unsafe due to the lack of clear policies. "While Nepali has reached 186 countries, we have sent laborers to only 12 countries through agreements. But even there the agreement has not been implemented. We have not been able to work on it. We are not being sensitive in making policy," he said. He emphasized that it is necessary to send workers qualitatively rather than numerically and for that, skills should be taught. He urged NRN to invest in the operation of large training centers in seven provinces. 

Uttam Adhikari, President of Returnee Federation Nepal, said that the missing topic in immigration policy is returnee. "The issue of returnees being confused despite having skills and competences should be included in the immigration cycle.  "The state has to make a policy to integrate the

returnees into the society," he said. Rajesh Regmi, the vice president of the said organization, also mentioned that there is an expectation of policy reforms to make foreign employment dignified and safe. 

Kaviraj Adhikari, Executive Director of Social Security Fund, mentioned that foreign employment should be transparent. The worker does not know how much the cost of foreign employment is and how much the premium (income) is. There is no basic information including training. A lot of work needs to be done on transparency and communication. NRN can play a role in this," he said.