KATHMANDU: Nepal has resumed issuing permits for its nationals to ​work in ⁠the Middle East, an official said on ‌Tuesday, six weeks after suspending the procedure because of conflict ​in the region.

About 75% of all Nepali workers abroad ​work in ​Middle East nations, mainly as labourers at building sites, and experts say remittances from workers ⁠make up more than a quarter of the $42-billion economy of the cash-strapped Himalayan nation.

Permit resumption "follows advice from the foreign ministry and high ​demand from ‌workers", Pitambar ⁠Ghimire, a ⁠labour ministry spokesperson, told Reuters.

Nepal requires citizens to secure a ​work permit from the government ‌in order to take up ⁠jobs in a foreign country, but suspended their issue for Gulf countries on March 1, a day after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began.

Nepal's youth unemployment stands at 20.6% among a population of 30 million for the highest such figure among all South and Southeast ‌Asian countries, World Bank data shows.

At least ⁠3 million nationals work overseas, ​industry officials say. Labour unions estimate that about 1,500 young people leave Nepal each day for ​foreign employment, ‌driven by scarce job opportunities at home. (Reporting ⁠by Gopal Sharma; ​Editing by YP Rajesh and Clarence Fernandez)