Nepal and Saudi Arabia Sign Bilateral Labor Agreement for Worker Recruitment

The governments of Nepal and Saudi Arabia have signed a bilateral labor agreement regarding worker recruitment. Nepal's Minister for Labor, Employment, and Social Security, Hon. Rameshwar Singh Bhandari, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Human Resources and Social Development, Ahmed bin Suleiman Al-Rajhi, signed the agreement at an official ceremony held in Riyadh.

With this agreement, Nepal has now signed bilateral labor agreements with 13 countries. The agreement aims to ensure a legal, transparent, and ethical recruitment process for Nepali workers going to Saudi Arabia, while also protecting the rights and welfare of both workers and employers.

After the signing ceremony, both ministers expressed confidence that this agreement would strengthen labor cooperation and elevate Nepal-Saudi Arabia bilateral relations to new heights. A bilateral discussion also took place following the signing.

Saudi Arabia is one of the key destinations for Nepali foreign workers. This agreement is expected to significantly contribute to ensuring the security, rights, and welfare of Nepali workers already in Saudi Arabia and those who will be going in the future.

According to the Department of Foreign Employment, 152,557 individuals obtained labor approvals to go to Saudi Arabia in the fiscal year 2081/82. In the fiscal year 2080/81, 141,502 individuals received labor approvals, and in the fiscal year 2079/80, 46,960 individuals obtained approval.

Nepal has been working to make foreign employment safe, organized, and dignified by signing bilateral labor agreements and memorandums of understanding with various destination countries. Nepal first signed a bilateral labor agreement with Qatar in 2005. Following that, agreements with the United Arab Emirates in 2007 and with South Korea in 2007 (under the Employment Permit System) were signed. The agreements with Bahrain (2008) and Japan (2009) have also been renewed.

In recent years, Nepal has successfully expanded its foreign labor destinations. Notably, in 2022, Nepal signed an agreement with the United Kingdom to send workers in the healthcare sector and, in 2023, signed labor recruitment agreements with Romania and a joint declaration with Germany for skilled worker exchange and cooperation.

This new bilateral labor agreement will play a crucial role in making the process for Nepali workers going to Saudi Arabia easier and safer.