The South Korean human resource department has allocated 5,700 jobs to Nepali workers for 2014 under the Employment Permit System ( EPS ). The workers will be selected from a roster of some 9,700 aspirant Nepali migrants who have successfully completed the Korean language test. South Korea had hired 5,234 Nepali migrants in 2013.
Korea Employment Permit System ( EPS ) in Nepal said the quotas will be applicable to those who will work in the manufacturing sector. The ceiling allocated to Nepali workers is the fourth largest in terms of quantity after Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
South Korea currently hires workers from fifteen countries under the EPS and plans to hire some 53,000 workers this year. Around 64,000 were hired last year. Lee Dong Sirk, human resource director at the Korea EPS centre in Nepal, said his government has given priority to Nepali workers despite overall fall in job demands due to their good track records and the tendency to return back home. “Those who have three years of work experience in Korea can apply again after passing the special Korea language test. The recruitment process has been simplified for such workers,” Lee told reporters on Friday.
The EPS centre in Nepal holds a special language test every three months. The upcoming test will be held on March 12 and the exam forms can be collected from February 26 to March 2. The result of the test will be published on March 31. For both fresh workers and reentrants, successfully completing the Korean language test alone does not guarantee a job in Korea, the centre added.
“We request the aspirant migrants not to be misled and leave the job in hand unless they receive the labour contract. Passing the language only qualifies workers to to be enlisted in the roster and a skill test enhances their chance of selection,” said Lee. The South Korean government has increased the minimum salary of migrant workers by seven percent.