Temporary labour migration in South Asia: Nepal and its fragmented labour migration sector

Abstract

ABSTRACT Temporary transnational migration of Nepali migrant workers has resulted in remittances now accounting for over 27 per cent of the country’s GDP. This article analyzes the domestic labour migration policy sector of Nepal using primary data to visualise the migration policy network through Social Network Analysis and explores the dynamics between the dominant actors involved in the regulation of the temporary labour migration regime. It finds a fragmented migration sector in Nepal where government agencies were not seen as leaders in the field but instead perceived to be heavily influenced by the private sector during the policy-making process, bringing their regulatory role into question. In such a situation, civil society organisations could have played a critical role as a watchdog and strong advocate for migrant workers but several factions and conflicts were apparent within them, resulting in low trust and high competition for funds. The article shows that different actors from the labour migration regime have a role in vigilantly watching for any abuse of power to ensure that the policy and regulatory environment is not influenced by certain actors to their benefit and to the detriment of temporary labour migrant workers.