Nepalis forced to look abroad for employment

After youth protests over corruption and joblessness toppled Nepal’s Parliament and left dozens dead, villagers like Mr Santosh Sunar see their own struggles reflected in the nation’s turmoil.

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The 31-year-old is jobless and desperately seeking work, yet he dreads the day he finds it, knowing it will most likely mean splitting his family further - leaving his daughter with his mother, with his wife already abroad.

“There are no opportunities even after education,” said Mr Santosh, who lives in the rural settlement of Pharping, on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu.

He is far from alone.

A “staggering” 82 per cent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, and one in five Nepalis aged 15 to 24 is jobless, according to the World Bank.

With few prospects at home, where gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is only US$1,447 (S$1,850), millions of Nepalis look abroad.

Remittances now account for a third of GDP, the world’s fourth-highest rate. In Pharping, nearly every second household has a relative overseas.

Mr Santosh’s wife Amrita, 22, isa waitress in Dubai.