KATHMANDU, Aug 5: Every day, hundreds of Nepalis are seen departing from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), a reflection of the rising compulsion among youths who see no viable future or employment opportunities within the country.
As local livelihoods continue to weaken, the number of Nepalis heading abroad has grown significantly year after year. According to the latest data from the Department of Foreign Employment, a total of 839,266 Nepalis received labor permits for foreign employment in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024/25. This figure includes workers of all skill levels: skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled.
Over 170,000 Nepali workers leave for foreign employment in Q1...
A large proportion of those leaving the country are unskilled. In just one year, more than 227,000 Nepalis migrated abroad without any formal skills training. Among them, over 202,000 were men, and more than 24,000 were women.
Despite the government's longstanding policy of providing skills-based training to outgoing migrant workers, the statistics show that a majority of labor migrants are still unskilled.
That said, the number of those going abroad after receiving training is also significant. Over 506,000 Nepalis left the country after receiving training within the same year. Among them, more than 447,000 were men, and 59,754 were women.
Similarly, the number of semi-skilled workers reached 99,723, while 4,372 workers went abroad under the professional category. The number of highly skilled workers was notably low, with only 937 in total—692 men and 245 women.
Last year, Nepali workers migrated legally to 151 countries. The highest number went to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Malaysia, while just one person each went to 12 different countries.
