November 6: Employment opportunities in Japan and UK, which many Nepalis have been aspiring for a long time, are going to open soon. The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security informed that the government has prepared the protocols for sending workers to those countries and the process of sending workers will begin soon.

Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry Dr Thaneshwar Bhusal said that the protocol will be implemented after the Council of Ministers passes it. He informed that the ministry prepared the criteria for the selection, placement and service facilities of workers going to the UK. Preparations are being made to send 200 nurses to Britain from January 2023 in the first phase. The ministry has prepared a schedule for requesting applications for nurses in this regard.

Only nurses who are qualified according to the criteria will be allowed to go to the UK for employment. A labor agreement was signed between Nepal and the UK on August 22 regarding the employment of nurses in the UK. Director General of the Department of Labour and Occupational Safety Umakanta Acharya said that framework for the process of sending nurses to the UK for foreign employment is already prepared.

As per the information, the selection of health workers going to the UK will be done through the department and the UK's Department of Health and Social Care. The two countries agreed on not levying any charges for the nurse selection process and that the costs of the health workers selected for employment will be covered by employers in the UK. Officials of the ministry say that based on the evaluation of the health workers sent in the first phase, more workers will be allowed to go to the UK in the second phase. Nurses who have completed 20 years and are under 45 years of age will be allowed to work in the UK. Nurses with two years of work experience with a license from the Nepal Nursing Council will be given priority.

Likewise, the ministry informed that the process of sending workers to Japan will also proceed after the election. Director of the department Dambar Bahadur Sunuwar, who has been looking at Israeli employment in the department, has been given the responsibility of looking into the employment in Japan also. Director General Acharya said that the process of selection of workers is being discussed. In March 2019, Nepal and Japan signed an agreement regarding taking Nepali workers. As of present, an agreement has been reached between the two countries to allow specially trained manpower from Nepal to go to Japan for employment.