Govt eases norms to help job seekers being duped by recruiting agents

The central government has relaxed norms enabling young entrepreneurs in far-flung areas to open recruitment agencies to hire people for overseas blue-collar jobs.

This move is aimed at giving people in remote areas better access to government-approved recruitment agencies — all of which are located in big cities — and circumvent the middlemen who often dupe the hapless workers, reasoned the officials.

A government order said it was reducing the bank guarantee a recruitment agency has to pay — from the existing Rs 50 lakh to Rs 8 lakh — to send “up to 100 people” for employment abroad.

“(The job seekers) don’t have the means to reach out to government-approved agencies, most of which are located in big cities,” said a government official.

Complaints against agents are on the rise. Until July last, 220 complaints were received as against 231 in 2016 and 195 in 2015. These include job seekers ending up with work they were not hired for, not being able to find a job at all in a foreign land and not getting paid for work.

The recruitment agencies are supervised by the Protector General of Emigrants (PGE), under the ministry of external affairs.

“Despite higher bank guarantee threshold, many job seekers continue to get duped. The relaxed norms would increase it,” said Ginu Zacharia Ommen, a member of the Kerala Public Service Commission.