Kathmandu, 8 Nov: The Government of Nepal has started certifying labor demands for Nepali workers through institutional or foreign employment agencies under Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) program. The Embassy of Nepal in Japan has begun verifying and approving demand letters for Nepali workers, officially starting the process of sending them to Japan.
This initiative comes at a time when demand for Nepali workers in Malaysia and Middle Eastern (Gulf) countries has been declining. Recruitment agencies say that the opening of the Japanese labor market under the SSW category has brought some relief to the foreign employment sector.
According to manpower entrepreneurs, approximately 20,000 Nepali workers could be sent to Japan annually under this category, where the minimum monthly salary is estimated at around NPR 200,000.
Demand Verification and Job Opportunities in 14 Sectors
The Embassy of Nepal in Japan stated that it has begun authenticating demand letters for Nepali workers as per the prevailing laws, regulations, guidelines, and related legal provisions of both countries. The Embassy has also uploaded the list of required documents for certification on its official website to facilitate the process.
Under the SSW program, Nepali workers can be employed in 14 sectors, including nursing and caregiving, construction, building cleaning and management, shipbuilding and ship machinery, automobile, industrial machinery manufacturing, electronics, hotel, aviation, food and beverage production, food service industry, and agriculture.
Although Nepal and Japan signed the labor agreement in 2019, implementation was delayed due to the lack of specific working procedures from Nepal’s Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security. The Ministry finally approved the Working Procedure for Sending Specified Skilled Workers to Japan, 2080 (2024) in February 2024, clearing the way for deployment.
Growing Interest Among Nepali Youth
Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Labor, Pitambar Ghimire, stated that although the process was slightly delayed, the Embassy’s initiation of demand verification under the approved procedure has ensured employment opportunities in Japan. According to the Ministry, several national and multinational companies in Japan have already met all requirements to recruit Nepali workers, with an estimated annual demand exceeding 20,000 skilled Nepalis.
Director General of the Department of Foreign Employment, Kamal Prasad Bhattarai, said that Japan has become one of the most preferred and reliable labor destinations for Nepalis, as there have been very few complaints from workers already employed there.
After the bilateral understanding on labor mobility five years ago, a large number of Nepali youths received training and language instruction in anticipation of Japanese employment opportunities.
According to departmental data, around 6,000 Nepali workers obtained labor approval for Japan in the first three months of FY 2082/83 (2025/26) — the majority of whom are employed in the restaurant sector.
