With the boom in the construction industry, the trend of recruiting foreign workers, both skilled and unskilled has also increased significantly in the country. In a bid to manage and administer the increasing number of foreign recruits, the Ministry of Industry Commerce and Employment trained Foreign Workers Recruitment Agents on the use of the newly developed Foreign Workers Management System in Sarpang recently.
The management of large numbers of foreign workers is an ongoing challenge for Recruitment Agents. Unlike in the past, they can now apply for recruitment, renew work permits and apply for additional foreign workers online through Foreign Worker Management System.
The concept of Foreign Workers Recruitment Agents was introduced in 2004 to manage and recruit foreign workers efficiently.
“Capacity building of the Agents in terms of providing orientation to foreign workers. While they recruit foreign workers, they need to educate foreign workers on dos and don’ts while they are working in Bhutan,” said Phuntsho Dendup, Coordinator of the training.
Recruitment agents who participated in the two-day training said the training enhanced their capacity to facilitate better service to foreign workers in an efficient, organised and systematic manner.
“In the past, the orientation was in the form of a document which stated various dos and don’ts that would be signed by everyone later. But now we will have to brief and provide orientation in person. It will bring changes for them and for us as well,” said Chimi Yangzom, a participant.
“After attending a two-day workshop, I got to learn a lot of things which were not familiar in the past. I learnt about recruitment and transfer of foreign workers among others,” said Kesar Chhetri, another participant.
There are eight Foreign Workers Recruitment Agents in Gelephu.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
Edited by Sonam Pem
