South Korea asks 5,700 Nepalis to reapply for EPS jobs

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE

KATHMANDU, Nov 19: The South Korean government has sent names of around 5,700 candidates out of around 9,000 candidates who failed to get jobs under Korea´s Employment Permit System (EPS) to reapply at EPS-Nepal office to retain their candidature in job roster of Human Resource Department (HRD) of Korea.

Responding to the move by Korea, the government has initiated the process to re-register applications of those who couldn´t get opportunity for Korean jobs even after getting registered in roster of HRD in 2011.

EPS-Nepal Office has publicly called 3,693 job hopefuls as randomly selected by the HRD Korea to re-register their applications to refresh their bid for the jobs in the Asia´s fourth largest economy. Of those notified for the re-registration, around 700 are female job seekers.

“We have opened the re-registration of applications of 3,693 job seekers who were listed in the job roster and have not yet got an opportunity to sign job contracts so that they can continue their candidature for jobs in Korea under EPS,” Gyan Nath Dhakal, acting chief of EPS-Nepal Office told Republica on Sunday. A high level source at the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MoLE) told Republica that HRD Korea has also sent a list of around 2,000 more candidates to EPS Nepal to initiate the process to re-register them in the roster. “We will also notify 2,000 more candidates soon for renewing their applications for EPS jobs,” said the source. HRD Korea has been randomly selecting the names from the job rosters to call for re-registration of the application. Situation to reregister the applications of those already included in the job roster emerged as their medical reports, which is valid for a year, has either expired or are expiring soon. As per the existing provision, names of candidates will be de-registered from the roster once their medical reports´ validity expires. Those, who want to quality for EPS jobs again, have to pass medical test and re-fill the job application at EPS Nepal Office. Data shows that 15,500 youths registered in HRD´s job roster after qualifying through the Test of Proficiency in Korea (TOPIK)- Korean language test and heath check up to vie for Korean jobs in 2011. However, only 6,039 of them have actually signed labor contracts, meaning around 9,000 candidates would have to re-register. “To keep their hope still alive for Korean jobs, remaining workers who couldn´t get contracts offer have no option but to re-register their application,” said Dhakal. Under EPS, the validity of TOPIK certificate is set for two years. But the Korean government can delete the names of the job seekers after a year of their registration in the job roster. EPS-Nepal office has set November 27 deadline for the candidates to complete their health check up and re-register their application by December 1. Most of the Nepali workers who left for Korea for EPS jobs since 2008 are employed mainly in agriculture and manufacturing sectors. Nepal and Korea had signed EPS deal on July 23, 2007 to send Nepali workers to Korea through the government level. To deal with scarcity of labor force, Korean government introduced EPS in 2004 allowing domestic firms to hire foreign workers. Korea has signed EPS pacts with 15 countries to source the workers for five sectors- agriculture, manufacturing, construction, fisheries and services.
Published on 2012-11-19 04:00:15