The Government of Nepal recently said that labourers coming to Qatar will have to pay no more than Nepali Rs10,000 to manpower agencies recruiting them, as the companies in Qatar already issue visas and tickets to the workers free-of-charge.
The manpower agencies went up in protest, but saw their demands unmet. They eventually had to resume work at the fees stipulated by the government.
Community caught with Nabin Pokharel, the proprietor of one such manpower agency, on their recruitment methods, their stance, and other issues that such agencies face.
What is the current demand for workers in Qatar?
I believe thousands of workers are needed to complete projects, especially those related to FIFA World Cup 2022. There is a gap between demand and supply — most companies are still in need of a large number of workers.
How do you categorise skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers?
Once we get a demand from a company, we prepare a list of applications.
Sales representatives, clerks, secretaries, drivers, business executives, translators, foremen, overseers and accountants, among others, are categorised as skilled manpower.
Masons, plaster workers, carpenters, plumbers, mechanics, tailors, gardeners, cashiers, bakers, waiters and other similar professions get categorised as semi-skilled workforce.
The unskilled workers comprise labourers, helpers, sweepers, office boys and room attendants.
On top of this occupational heap, there are professionals— nurses, engineers, managers, doctors, surgeons, and chartered accountants etcetera.
Why do you think Qatar has become one of the biggest attractions for the Nepalese youth?
There are a lot of Nepalese here, but I still think that we see far fewer Nepalese professionals than we could. There are bourgeoning opportunities for professionals as many large and multi-national companies have established their presence here. We have to get this information to them to get these professionals to come here. That said, there are still a large number of labourers required for projects pertaining to FIFA World Cup 2022 and Vision 2030.
How does your agency supply human resources to companies here?
Our Doha-based Diamond Manpower supplies all kinds of workers — skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled, and professional. We have experience in recruiting and managing workers not only from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Philippines but from across the globe. Our agency also works with housemaids — we recruit them from South and East Asia.
How does the recruitment process work?
Our Pukar International Overseas in Kathmandu has been working under our management and supervision since 2007. We have five outlets of this manpower agency across the country.
We deal with other companies here like G4S, Diplomatic Club, Aspire Katara Hospitality, Qatari Securities and Rumailah Group. Currently, we are dealing with more than a hundred companies in Doha.
What do you think about Qatar providing jobs to such a large number of Nepalese workers?
Qatar is one of the most supportive countries of Nepal. I would like to thank the Qatari government, labour department, immigration department, hiring companies and the Qatari people for this support. There are over 450,000 Nepalese working here, supporting the Nepalese economy through remittances.
What is the role played by Nepalese workers in the bilateral relationship between the two countries?
Nepalese workers are known to be brave, hardworking, dedicated and focused on their work. Companies in Qatar prefer them for these very traits, which is why the Nepalese population here is the second largest. But they are not here just to provide services and make money, they are also representatives of their culture and are thus promoting bilateral ties between the two countries.
Can the large of Nepalese people here convince Qatari investors to look towards Nepal?
Yes, they can. There are sectors like tourism and service exchanges where Qataris can invest. They also can invest in hotels, malls and hydropower projects.
Nepalese youth are paying a large sum to manpower agencies in Kathmandu and other big cities to come here even though companies here say that they provide free visas and free tickets. What do you have to say about this?
Well this is an ongoing issue between Nepalese manpower agencies, the Government of Nepal and the companies. All manpower agencies want to bring workers here free-of-charge. The requirement that workers get free visas and tickets is sound, but it needs to be acknowledged by everyone — the manpower agencies and the companies for which the recruitments are done.
Nabin Pokharel in his office.
