August 16: Israel has decided to employ an additional 1,000 workers from Nepal. Israel’s ambassador to Nepal Hanan Goder informed Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Sher Bahadur Kunwar about the decision to hire the workers during a meeting on Monday.

During the meeting, Ambassador Goder said that the Government of Israel had taken a decision on Sunday (August 14) to employ 1,000 workers from Nepal in the field of agriculture.

Ambassador Goder also informed that the Government of Israel has selected 1147 workers from among 9699 applicants who had applied for jobs in Israel earlier. According to the ambassador, the Government of Israel is in the process of taking the selected workers to Israel.

On the occasion, Minister Kunwar thanked Ambassador Goder for all kinds of support extended by the Government of Israel to Nepal. He also requested the ambassador for further support in sectors like agriculture, tourism and industry.

During the meeting, Labour Minister Kunwar also informed the ambassador that the Government of Nepal has recently adopted a policy for re-integration of returnee migrant workers and urged for help from investors in Israel for this programme. He also informed Ambassador Goder that lots of Nepalis are aspiring to work in Israel and requested him to expedite the process.

Earlier in July 2021, the government of Israel had announced vacancy for 1,000 workers from Nepal for the health sector. The two countries then signed a bilateral agreement on September 30, 2021 and a ‘protocol’ to send Nepali workers to Israel was finalized a month later to send workers to Israel.

The protocol mentions about issues like the process of sending workers to Israel, their qualification, perks and benefits in accordance to the labour agreement.

Back then, it was also agreed that the Nepali workers will get opportunities to work in hotels and restaurants, agriculture sector, construction works among others in Israel besides the health sector. As per the agreement, Israel has now opened vacancy for the agriculture sector.

Nepali workers willing to go to Israel for work will have to pay the visa fee, medical test fee as well as orientation charge and a certain amount to the welfare fund themselves, as per the protocol.

Nepal had also signed a labour pact with Israel in 2015. Back then, very few Nepalis had gone to Israel for work. Israel had agreed to take nurses and care givers having three months of training but the agreement could not be implemented for a long time.