More than 52,000 Nepali workers went abroad for employment during Falgun (mid-February to mid-March), even as tensions escalated in the Middle East, according to government data.
Figures from the Department of Foreign Employment show that 52,944 individuals secured labour permits during the month, including 46,452 men and 6,392 women. Among them, 28,383 were first-time applicants, while 24,561 renewed their permits.
This comes at a time when the government has temporarily suspended labour approvals for several Middle Eastern countries due to rising conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Following a decision on March 1, approvals and renewals for 11 countries—including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and others—have been halted until further notice.
However, workers who had already received approvals earlier in the month were still able to leave for their destinations.
Malaysia emerged as the leading destination, attracting 12,601 Nepali workers. The UAE followed with 11,492 workers, along with Qatar (6,775) and Saudi Arabia (6,225).
In comparison, 70,503 workers left in Magh, 62,559 in Poush, and 65,705 in Mangsir, showing consistently high outbound labour migration in recent months.
