Himal Press 
Members of study team hand over the report to Minister Bhandari.
KATHMANDU: A study conducted by the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security has found that workers going for foreign employment are repeatedly deceived.
In a press conference organized in Kathmandu on Sunday, the ministry revealed that job-seekers are deceived as many as four times before they leave for foreign job destinations.
A report on ‘Labor Migration Policy’ unveiled by the ministry on Sunday states that job-seekers are first cheated by local agents, then by manpower agency representatives, branch offices and manpower companies. The study, conducted by a five-member team of labor experts, found that workers heading to countries where the government has implemented the ‘Free Visa, Free Ticket’ policy suffer the most.
According to Dr Ganesh Gurung, a labor migration policy researcher and employment expert, many rural youths trust agents of illegal manpower companies. “Since workers do cash transactions with these agents and manpower branch offices, they often lack proof of fraud,” he added. “There are many problems in the foreign employment sector. The government needs to take the necessary initiatives to solve problems at the local level.”
Stating that rackets deceiving youths by making them false promises are active on social media these days, Gurung suggested introducing a separate act to control such activities.
The government implemented the ‘Free Visa, Free Ticket’ policy in 2015 for workers leaving for the Gulf countries and Malaysia. However, the study found that the requirement for employer companies to pay visa fees and round-trip airfare for workers going to Qatar, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Jordan has not been implemented. It added that workers heading to Malaysia and Gulf countries are aware of the ‘Free Visa, Free Ticket’ policy but are compelled to pay large sums to go to these countries.
Likewise, it states that youths seeking foreign employment often pay advance deposits to agents before reaching manpower companies. Job-seekers typically pay Rs 50,000 for Gulf countries and Malaysia, and Rs 70,000 for European countries as an advance fee to agents.
Labor Minister Sharat Singh Bhandari stated that the new Labor Migration Policy will bring about reforms in the foreign employment sector. He claimed that the policy would streamline the existing foreign employment system, make it more dignified and focus on producing skilled labor according to global market demand.
