Kathmandu, May 12
Nepal became the second biggest exporter of labour to Poland in 2018, official figures from the Polish government show.
According to the figures, Nepalis received around 20,000 permits to work in Poland in 2018. This is the second highest number of permits issued to citizens of one single country. The most number of permits were issued to Ukrainians who received about 329,000 permits to live and work in Poland in 2018.
The number of Ukrainians coming to Poland for work increased by 25 per cent compared to 2017, the growth for Nepalis was around 181 per cent. In 2017, employers in Poland hired over 7,000 Nepalis.
Although the Nepali population in Poland continues to soar, the governments of Nepal and Poland are yet to sign a labour exchange agreement. Polish companies recruit Nepali workers through various recruitment agencies. According to the labour ministry, the agreement will guarantee that the migrants receive at least the minimum wage. A draft of the agreement will soon be forwarded to the Polish government.
According to the ministry, the provisions of the proposed agreement with and Poland will be similar to pacts signed with other countries such as Malaysia. The objective would be to guarantee minimum wage and to make the employers or the host countries bear the cost of the recruitment process.
