6/22/2021 South Asia’s migrants share problems, share solutions | Nepali Times Recruitment costs in Bangladesh and Pakistan are much higher than from Nepal and India (see below). High recruitment costs persist (https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/thetheory-and-practice-of-zero-cost-migration/) for multiple reasons despite adoption of employer pays model on paper: workers willing to pay for stints abroad, unhealthy competition among recruitment agencies who outbid each other by buying visas from employers and transferring that cost to workers, difficulties monitoring transactions between workers and recruiters among others. Just the sheer volume of recruiters competing for limited job offers in a handful of countries is eye-opening: Nepal (853), Bangladesh (1,421), India (1,524) and Pakistan (2,124). Recruiters are engaged in a race to the bottom, competing among their own peers as well those from the region. Sujit Shrestha,of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies says that when regulations regarding job demand approval, allowable recruitment costs, etc are different across sending countries with the common destination market, it is difficult to work. “There is no doubt there are employers who are ethical, who follow the employer-pays model, but you have to be wary that in the current environment, they fall in the minority,” Shreshta says. “Harmonisation of regulations including on recruitment cost policies across sending countries would be useful to ensure that variation in regulations do not affect demand flows.” 58 Shares https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/south-asias-migrants-shared-problems-share-solutions/ 13/19