Labor Migration Issues and Challenges

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Labor MigrationIssues and Challenges

• Dinesh Raj Sharma
• Founder President and Management Consultant,
  NAHUDA, Ka 2/6 Jhamshikhel, Lalitpur Sub Metro
  2, Lalitpur, Nepal
• Emailnahudanepal_at_yahoo.com, womenofnepal_at_gmail.co
  m

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Nepal in brief

• Total population 26.44 million
• Annual Population growth 2.25 per cent
• Average Life expectancy Literacy rate
• Male 63.3 years 65.5 per cent
• Female 64.1 years 42.8 per cent
• Average 63.7 years 54.1 per cent
• Per Capita GDP (US )383 (2007)
• Refugee (Bhutanese) 108,182(2007)
• Labor migrants cumulative (estimated) 2.2 Million
  (2007)
• Labor migration with government permission
• Male 433,276 migrants 99.73
• Female 1,162 migrants 00.27

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Comparative income level
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Labor Migration

• World 191 million, 8.5 , Nepal 229394,11.9
  growth (2006 to 2007)
• Agriculture migratory trend used to be a culture
• Labor migration on off- season in the reason used
  to be a common practice
• 1816 AD British-India and Nepal treaty opened
  gate for army recruitment for Nepali youth male
• In World War I and II youth force recruited from
  Hills, send to east and west corner of South
  Asian countries

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Indian and Overseas Market

• Indian market is the nearest and traditional
  labor market of the low skilled labor
• Indian market is huge employer and estimated 2.5
  million are working.
• Both the country send labor in each other market,
  no specific recording system is there, is a free
  market in both country.
• Around 50 percent of the labor migrants are still
  going in the foreign labor market adapting risky,
  unauthorized via unorganized sector.

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Labor migration except Indian Market
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Major Destinations

• Malaysia 419,506 35.16
• Qatar 348,087 29.18
• Saudi Arabia 228,996 19.19
• United Arab Emirates 140,125 11.75
• Other countries 56,309 04.72
• Total 1,193,023 100
• Government, recently, restricted women to migrate
  to Saudi Arabia and Malaysia on security ground.
• There are no labor agreement with the Major
  receiving countries
• These figures are from government permission
  system.

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Issues

• Labor trapped in foreign land on various grounds
  (detained/deported/jailed)
• Labor exported to un-agreed / undisclosed destiny
  (Iraq)
• Security, safety, and decent living
• Women are vulnerable and suffering further in
  both front
• No skill training and orientation on socio
  cultural aspect of the going country

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Issues

• Remittance costly, and unsecured
• Exploitation, non-payment and prison like
  situation in some of the work places
• Government is able to make record of 50 migrant
  labor only
• No labor agreement/ Memorandum of understanding
• Fifty percent Migrants under no protection system
  and are suffering
• These issues are challenges to be addressed to
  make governance better.

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Benefits

• Remittance to individual and in the country
• Better living standard, support to family,
  educating children, improved health and better
  housing
• Exposure and new skills transfer (some)
• Unemployed youth having options for employment
• Generating foreign exchange reserve
• Export of unemployed youth help local peace and
  security prospects
• Better understanding and cultural exchanges

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Wish you Happy Festive Seasons and New Year 2009