Nepal resumes issuing permits for workers headed to the Middle East

KATHMANDU- Nepal ⁠has resumed issuing permits for its nationals to ​work in ​the Middle East, an official said on Tuesday, six weeks after suspending the procedure because of conflict in the region.
About 75% of all Nepali workers abroad ⁠work in Middle East nations, mainly as labourers ⁠at building sites, and experts say remittances from workers make up more than a quarter of ‌the $42-billion economy of the cash-strapped ​Himalayan nation.
Permit ⁠resumption 'follows advice from the foreign ​ministry and high demand from ‌workers', Pitambar Ghimire, a labour ministry spokesperson, told Reuters.
Nepal ​requires citizens to secure a work permit from the government to take up jobs in a foreign country, but suspended the issuance of work permits for ‌Gulf countries on March 1, a day ​after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began.
Nepal's youth ​unemployment ‌stands ⁠at 20.6% among a population of 30 million, for the highest such figure among ​all South and Southeast Asian countries, ⁠World Bank ​data shows.
At least 3 million nationals work overseas, industry officials say.
Labour unions estimate that about 1,500 young people leave Nepal ​each day for foreign employment, driven ​by scarce job opportunities at home.