Kathmandu: Nepal and Saudi Arabia are set to sign a landmark labor agreement for the recruitment of Nepali workers on January 25 in Riyadh, marking the first formal bilateral framework between the two countries on labor migration.
Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Rajendra Singh Bhandari has departed for Saudi Arabia, leading a three-member delegation to finalize and sign the agreement. The accord will be signed by Minister Bhandari and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Ahmed bin Suleiman Al-Rajhi, who has headed the ministry since 2018.
The draft agreement has been under discussion for nearly a decade, as Saudi Arabia remains one of the principal destinations for Nepali migrant workers. The signing follows discussions held last week in Geneva, where the then Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Sharat Singh Bhandari and Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for International Affairs, Tariq Al-Hamad, agreed to move forward with a general labor agreement, setting aside provisions related to domestic workers. Nepal’s Ministry of Labor has stated that further preparation will be undertaken before concluding a separate agreement on domestic workers.
According to the ministry, the labor agreement aims to expand employment opportunities for Nepali workers in the Saudi labor market, ensure a transparent recruitment process to prevent human trafficking, and safeguard the rights and responsibilities of both workers and employers.
The agreement has been drafted in line with International Labor Organization (ILO) labor standards. It addresses key concerns such as salary security, the elimination of double contracts, control of excessive recruitment costs, prevention of fraud by manpower agencies, and guaranteed access to justice for workers in accordance with Saudi labor laws.
Currently, an estimated 400,000 Nepali workers are employed in Saudi Arabia, primarily in the construction and service sectors. Over the past 10 years, approximately 1.35 million Nepalis have worked in Saudi Arabia. In the fiscal year 2081/82, around 152,000 Nepali workers obtained labor permits for employment in the country.
The Ministry of Labor has also reported that 684 Nepali workers have died in Saudi Arabia over the past two fiscal years, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding worker safety and welfare.
