Question : DEMAND OF INDIAN WORKERS ABROAD

(a) whether some foreign countries have shown interest in engaging labourers from India particularly for construction work;

(b) if so, the details of such countries including trades/skills in demand in these countries;

(c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government for sending skilled/unskilled labourers to these countries ;

(d) the total number of license holder agencies engaged in the placement of youths abroad, State-wise; and

(e) the number of persons sent abroad by these agencies during the last three years and the current year, year-wise and State-wise ?

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF OVERSEAS INDIAN AFFAIRS (SHRI VAYALAR RAVI)

(a) Indian workers are in demand abroad in various sectors including construction work.

(b) The demand for labourers from India for construction works is mainly from the Gulf countries, namely, UAE, Oman, KSA, Bahrain, Qatar, Libya, etc. The trades/ professions for demand in the above mentioned countries are mason, carpenter, plumber, steel fixer, reinforcing fitter, blacksmith, tile fixer, painter, electrician, plasterer, scaffolderer, labourers etc.

(c) The policy of the Government is to facilitate orderly and legal emigration of Indian workers discourage illegal/ irregular migration and ensure the protection and welfare of emigrants. In pursuit of this policy, the Government is modernizing the emigration process and pursuing bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the management of migration.

(d) The total number of registered recruiting agencies is 1884. The state-wise break-up is at Annexure-A

(e) The year-wise data of emigration during the last three years and the current year is as under:

YEAR	No.of workers in Lakh
2006	6.77
2007	8.09
2008	8.49
2009	5.18
(upto 31.10.2009)