As a Nepali, I was surprised to learn that many Nepali migrate to balkan countries and in noticeable numbers as well. How do balkans feel about this as a whole, and also their perception of Nepali people?
Posted by IsAdiNoMan@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 77 comments
I have recently learned of the surge of immigration to Balkan countries from Nepal, which was quite surprising to me as nobody talks about going to the Balkans and also I am not aware of anyone whose relatives have migrated there.
However, there seems to be a decent chunk of Nepali migrants especially in Croatia.
I just want to know how Nepali are perceived and also what sort of economic impact have you experienced from them being there.
Also, my perception of the Balkan region from watching youtube videos about it is that they are very racist and most of them go to Germany.
Content-Type-4295@reddit
Croatian here. I have no issues with them, they're usually very peaceful and keep to themselves, but I wish they learned the language. The workers from the Philippines try very hard with the language and I know a lot of them who learned it to quite a high level. The workers from Nepal and India don't try at all.
Croatian is a hard language, but at least trying to learn shows basic respect. I would never go work abroad and not learn the language. Doesn't matter how hard it or how different the language is from mine. It's the least I can do to show kindness to people who gave me a better salary and/or better working conditions compared to back home.
It's never normal for a local to have to speak English in their own country. Except for tourists who ask you tell them where something is.
Suitable-Decision-26@reddit
Most Asian immigrants I have seen(they are not that many in Bulgaria) just work, do not create issues and then leave for Western Europe. They prefer to live there. Understandable.
Are we racist? Not as much as we used to, but I can imagine how it is still a thing.
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
Bosnia & Herzegovina here! Our opinion of Nepali immigrants is mostly negative, the problem is that these immigrants are here to take our jobs and also work for less then what the average citizens gets by the law of the country. The problem is not the Nepali people (Nepal is country which has different culture than the country that I live in) both the greedy and power hungry employers who with the way that they have behaved with our domestic workers have found a way to bypass their own problem that they have created with most of the former workers emigrating to Western Europe and the Americas. With the average pay in this country it is impossible to make to the end of month just for basic needs (rent, bills, food) and also some of our own people have started to take side jobs to fight the rising inflation that is devastating the country that I live in. This phenome is still not as big as in the neighboring Croatia, both the near future it is going to become a lot bigger...
ExtremeProfession@reddit
I've never heard of any negative opinion about the Nepali workers in Bosnia(mostly in Glovo, supermarkets and cafes).
For someone living with 3-6 roommates a salary of 700-800 euros net is more than enough.
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
That is the problem! Having three roommates is should be max with how much people you can live with, the minimal pay in Bosnia & Herzegovina is 500€ and in major cities like Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka you cannot even cover the most basic expenses like food, hygiene...let alone rent and any kind of leisure is just imagination. The average pay in the country is 750€ which most workers simply don't have. These people have different culture than us, even religion is not compatible with our multi-ethnic, multi-religious society. I don't hate the Nepali people (they are also a multi ethnic society) both these people are lowering price of work for the domestic force who barely get by two pays, let alone one!
ExtremeProfession@reddit
Most workers in Sarajevo definitely have 750€ and more as their salary, you're only right about the country level. Grey economy is a thing so the actual average is even higher.
Nepali people blend in quite nicely, they're not insistent on establishing their ways. Sarajevo definitely needs more international food options so I'm all in.
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
Agreed on the food scene! Both it seems we live in different worlds you and I, most people that I know work for 500€ without the benefits of a hot meal or ticket to arrive for work, If you want to live alone with only basic covered in bigger cities you need at least 1000€ without having a vehicle, with a vehicle you need 1250€ so you can cover the basic expenses of vehicle. Most people that I know work only for 500€.
ExtremeProfession@reddit
Waiters in Sarajevo literally won't work for under 750 these days, if you wanted to work under those conditions you'd easily find a job even tomorrow.
Most people I know work for 1+ k
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
Then we are at crossroads of opinions it seems, we shall then respect each other's views of the situation and continue with our lives!
ExtremeProfession@reddit
Very fair, I respect that. Always nice to have a good fruitful discussion.
PersimmonTall8157@reddit
I know these foreigner are in Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Greece etc, but I’m shocked it has reached Bosnia, how bad is it there? I saw no one 10 years ago when I was in Sarajevo.
ExtremeProfession@reddit
Well if they go to Serbian cities outside Belgrade they'll go to Bosnia too, pretty similar standard of living
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
You are mostly going to see them in Sarajevo and Banja Luka, both these is just going to get bigger and bigger since our own people have mostly left or don't want to work for pay that does not cover their basic expenses. I have even heard that in Sarajevo that massage parlors are hiring masseurs from Indonesia to come work for them...in the next decade the situation is going to become a lot like it is now in Croatia!
PersimmonTall8157@reddit
Sad to hear that happening to my beautiful Bosnia. I thought we were one of few places in Europe blessed from the globalization lobbyists.
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
We are a country that aspires to become a EU member, that means we have to accept the good and the bad things that come with it. EU is the only chance that this country has to stabilize in the near future, every other scenario if a lose-lose situation.
PersimmonTall8157@reddit
The problem is that Bosnia never will join the EU, the whole political system disqualifies it from joining. Bosnia should focus on itself and stay away from the global scene, it really brings no good in the long term.
Furda_Karda@reddit
Bosnia will fall apart because of your internal conflicts which you are neither willing nor capable to resolve. The only question remaining is how you will crumble to the end: violently or peacefully.
PersimmonTall8157@reddit
You can go dream on, Bosnia will stay
Furda_Karda@reddit
How, if you are tearing and destroying it from the inside? And, btw I sincerly hope, that I am wrong in my predictions.
PersimmonTall8157@reddit
The only who is tearing it is the Serb part, you can try to ruin it as much as you want, but all Serbs are leaving for Serbia and Europe either way. They will be weakened in the future.
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
I disagree! It is small country with shrinking population and small economy, it simply isn't sustainable in the long end. The average joe simply cannot make enough for even the basic needs, let alone a "Western" standard of life. Most young people want to leave the country (as well as I), EU is the only chance that this country has!
Zmaj_99@reddit
Druze, mislim da je do sada svakome trebalo postati jasno da Bosna sa ovim trenutnim unutrasnjim uređenjem drzave nikada nece uci u EU jer se time direktne krse osnovna ljudska prava (slucaj Sejdic/Finci i presuda Kovacevic).
Dodaj uz to jos da EU jednostavno ne zeli primiti ijednu drzavu gdje muslimani cine vecinu stanovnistva. Najbolji primjer ti je Turska, oni vec od kraja 90ih cekaju na ulazak u EU i u jednom periodu su ispunjavali skoro sve kriterije (uglavnom vise od nekih drzava koje su kasnije primljene). Do danas ih nisu primili a i Turska se u međuvremenu preorijentisala.
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
"Nada umire posljednja" mislim da EU ne odgovara da ima slijepo crijevo na Balkanu...posebno je opasno ostaviti vakum tamo gdje je on ranije pukao i napravio još goru štetu!
Zmaj_99@reddit
Licno mislim da je NATO za nas trenutno realnija opcija a mozda i bolja jer bi to konacno stavilo tacku na price o kojekakvom raspadu drzave.
Sto se tice EU, ne vidim da cemo u narednih 10-15 godina postati clanica.
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
NATO je nažalost "tigar od papira", ja osobno mislim da je BiH mjesto u EU, ali svako ima svoje mišljenje.
PersimmonTall8157@reddit
I’m not sure it will tho, it will just end up with even more leaving Bosnia. While it’s of course good for the people who want to leave so is it not the best for the country itself, but that’s just my opinion.
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
Agreed! Both at least they are going to have country to return to in the future, with the current situation it is the best option. EU has Belgium and Cyprus, with Cyprus being in a worse situation than Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Vaisiamarrr@reddit
Dude this is a numbers game just look at the demographics of europe and of asia, they will eventually replace us there is nothing we can do, it’s all down to the numbers eventually the balkans will look just like the UK, I’m personally not a fan of this but I don’t see how anyone could stop this from happening
Local_Collection_612@reddit
Nepal has a gdp per capita of $1600. Than even Bosnia and Macedonia are a good option. Also the situation is propably better than Qatar and UAE were they are treated badly.
No-Championship-4632@reddit
They are treated badly quite often here as well. They are sometimes scammed too. Like I've heard of a case where they were employed by a hotel owner, the contract was for a few months (like May-October) and the flights to Bulgaria and back covered by the employer. Then he terminated them all one month short of completing their contract just because according to the contract, he wouldn't cover the flight back in that scenario. Those people busted their asses working for his crappy hotel and then they all got terminated for low performance at the end of it. A crappy way to treat your employees for sure.
Beautiful-Dish-6275@reddit
Does Bosnia have a workforce shortage?
Here in Croatia they really arent taking our jobs, its just that we are out of workforce and need to import it.
Proud-Ad-5206@reddit
No. Let me fix it for you. We have no workforce for those underpaid jobs. They are not taking our jobs, they are given our jobs because they will work for less, which is a lot of money for them.
Mother-Astronaut8784@reddit
"Workforce shortage"
Term used by Bosnian, or should I say Balkan, slave owners who are used to giving crumbs to their employees, with shit working conditions, which is one of the main reasons people left the country in the first place, used as an excuse to import new, submissive slaves they can treat even worse than the ones they had before.
That's what that term is, for the most part. I slowly started boycotting businesses that employee more than a few foreign workers (depending on the size of the company). Every foreign employee means my fellow Bosnian and Herzegovinian not being paid. Money that they would spend on their kid's food and education, which they'd have to pay taxes on (meaning I would benefit indirectly too), completely leaving the economy as most of those workers send money back to their families. I know those people (foreigners) are in a bad spot too, and you could say: "But isn't that the same case with Bosnians working in Germany", but comparing a 80 milion people country and its economy with BiH (3-4 milions) is dumb.
I understand there are some jobs that you really can't find workers for, but its mostly an excuse. People who push laws that make import of foreign workers easy, are also the ones having agencies that do that, or have companies that are known for shit working conditions.
Beautiful-Dish-6275@reddit
We legit have the lowest unemployment in history and are having ever more college graduates who fo work in engineering, law, it, medicine etc...
This means that a lot of low skilled jobs like warehouse workers have a serious shortage that we suplement by importing the workforce.
Like we actually do have a lot kf jobs available and need as many wrokers as possible.
Mother-Astronaut8784@reddit
Mostly because of the reasons above. Also, Croatia faced serious issues as many people that would take those jobs, left after you joined the EU. Im still firm on what I said above, at least and especially for BiH.
There's a balance to be found somewhere in there.....
Beautiful-Dish-6275@reddit
Oh yeah definetly, we entered the EU at a terrible point, right after Sanader brough to our country to alnsot bankrupcy and as uneployment was skyrocketing.
It resulted in losing 10% od the population in like 10 years, only recently have we managed to turn the emigration around but the damage bas been done.
AcolythusLatinus@reddit
The same thing is happening also in Bosnia & Herzegovina, both here the work shortage is caused by people who have been born and have grown up in the country fleeing political and economical problems because 30 years after the war everybody is tired about hearing of the war all the time! Our employers used this situation to keep people in poverty and have used threats of "disposable workforce" for years, now they are trying to replace us with immigrants from Asia, Indian subcontinent and Africa to make's docile yet again...as I have said previously this is going to become larger problem in the future, also many of my own countrymen are also looking for jobs in Croatia and Serbia since the political situation is a lot better than in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Massive_Gain6648@reddit
Bro if someone tells you that people in the Balkans dont have problem with you guys , he is lying 100 percent. As u said we are pretty racist. Gypsy people live in our countries for centuries and the most of them are still not accepted in everyday activities and jobs.
Professional-Fee-488@reddit
That's more to do with the gypsy mentality and way of life then racism.
Massive_Gain6648@reddit
A sta su ovi Nepalci nego Cigani
Professional-Fee-488@reddit
Ne kenjaj majstore, imao sam kolegu iz Nepala na svom prvom poslu nakon selidbe u aziju, čovek me prihvatio na prvu i uputio u to kako stvari stoje u firmi, šta mora šta ne mora šta sme šta ne sme apsolutna legenda, izlazili na bilijar, učio me power cords na gitari, čak nam i buskne nalazio, smiren, prizema, poštuje druge kulture, gospodin...
throw-awewe-iy@reddit
Most of them don't work, just stand around all day. Also absolutely no manners and like throwing trash around the place. Negative from my experience.
IsAdiNoMan@reddit (OP)
I kinda find it hard to believe that most of them do not work because from the comments, I get that Nepali mostly work below minimum wage jobs with sketch employers and also on top of cost of living, the added pressure of sending money to family back home. Maybe you are mistaken?
One_Conversation3886@reddit
We are sensitive about non-white immigrants, probably not very positive
nomemory@reddit
We don't interact. Bucharest is full of them, and most of them barely speak any English, Romanian no chance.
Close to myself there's a shop and there are 4 cashiers (by rotation), two Romanians, two from Nepal (boy and girl). In less than year those two can already speak Romanian to a decent level. Chill and decent people.
Other than that, interactions are very limited. They come and go.
sexypeon@reddit
Nepalitan pizza is my favourite pizza
Furda_Karda@reddit
Balkans don"t like eachother and they are all white. They'll argue over who invented burek, you have to be careful when using words like ručnik, peškir, šugaman (all means a towel) so you don't accidently deeply offend someone. Actually, everything can offend them: shape of the legs and nose, hair density, the whong ingredient in the bean soup, etc. etc. etc. But, if you say a few words in their language, you'll be theirs.
Mental-Book4148@reddit
I see them in Sofia, Bulgaria yes, they seem to work in cleaning, trash collection sector, maybe even construction but not sure there. I can not talk about other countries, but it was expected to happen. 2 to 3 million Bulgarians left the country in the past 20 years meanwhile the economy grew and needed people to work for it, accompanied with low overall productivity per person leads to the need for more workers. We had a moratorium for hiring of people from countries outside of the EU but that was dismissed a couple of years ago and companies started popping up filling the labour gap with primarily Nepalese people for some reason. Not sure why Nepalese. I don't think the general opinion of Nepalese is bed, I think it's natural. If I ask my grandma what she thinks of Nepalese people I am 100% sure she will say "Nothing". If it was Indians people generally have a more negative view of them as they see them as dirty. For me I have nothing agent's Nepalese people, nether good nor bad. I have a general view that mass migration is not a good thing but I have anything agent's the people themselves, there are good and bad people everywhere, therefor quotes per country per 5 years should be introduced and foreign population should be kept at a max of 10% per country's overall population in the EU. I believe automation, robotisation, boosting of productivity per employee, AI, cheep and mass produced high-end technology is the correct way forward - the harder way, but the right way.
No-Championship-4632@reddit
Sometimes it is. Sometimes it is too expensive to be a viable option and then foreign labor is cheaper. That's the funny thing about people complaining they came for their jobs. Perhaps they should switch to a job where the cheapest "optimization" is not you being replaced by an Asian.
No-Championship-4632@reddit
"They took our jobs" - said the unemployed guy on welfare (with fake ТЕЛК) who would never work for those "balkanski tarikati".
AdDiligent486@reddit
NEGATIVE.
bobo6u89@reddit
If I got transplanted myself to Nepal by chance, never got the language, avoided the locals, did weird jobs for sketchy people in the fake economy, did stuff like I used to back home...what would they think of me? And thats only me, what about x10, x100,..x100 000 of me?
5cozi@reddit
No opinion, pretty chill guys and very hard working. Id take you guys anyday over immigrants from middle East or Africa of certain religion.
padel_zdravlje@reddit
The opinion is mostly negative. We saw what happened in the west with multiculturalism and would rather remain homogenous. Unfortunately, no one ever asked us and business lobbies pushed for mass immigration.
Vaisiamarrr@reddit
Romanian employers just found a new caste of cheap obedient slaves
Wombats_poo_cubes@reddit
Nepali, East Asian and Sri lankans are the best from that region. No problems, head down, work hard and kids integrate. They don’t push their culture on you, no 💣
YouCompetitive4823@reddit
Lot of racism here. Wow. Balkan system fails, and now blame random people who are trying to work for their family. World is getting much stupid, this proves it. Don't you think government or companies are to blame? 🤡
Dear-Ad1582@reddit
Ever met Balkan's? We hate everyone by default... Add some migrants that look like gypsies to untrained eye and see them in many jobs... Pure balkanic hate combo fo' free.
v-s-g@reddit
Trojan_Man68@reddit
We generally just don’t like any type of immigrant coming in because we hold strong feelings to our lands and identities.
In a perfect world imo, Balkans don’t immigrate to places like UK and Germany and we stay and find a way to change our homes for the better. In turn other immigrants don’t come in and leave us alone.
alecsandru010@reddit
There are a lot of them in Romanina. Most of the time nobody gives a damn about them - they're just regular guys, working in our country.
You may find one or two idiots that are crying "you are stealing our jobs", but they are an exception, not the regular display in public.
As for myself - I am happy that Romania chose to "import" people from Asia and not the usual 'allahu snackbar' type that you see in the West :D
HumblePay2596@reddit
We dont like immigrants of any kind. I live in a small city and we have a bunch of nepali immigrants that come to the one or two clubs we have in the city and everyone avoids them. So yeah, not too fond of them
IsAdiNoMan@reddit (OP)
May I ask why?
TurdEye69@reddit
Negative. Most my friends have the same opinion. We don’t want any immigrants.
Capable_Studio_6631@reddit
We probably think you're Indian.
Honestly there's a lot of Bangladesh, Indian, Pakistani people here and in my eyes I cannot differentiate them 99% of the time.
Mysterious-Put1459@reddit
I was just about to ask how do people tell apart Nepali from other South Asians.
Substantial-Peach-90@reddit
Some Nepalese look Indian, others look proper “Asian”
iheartloud420@reddit
They look indian and chinese mixed together
Syrmin@reddit
Nah Nepalis are different
FrontFit7058@reddit
We call everyone indian, unless ur from east asia then you are automatically chinese lol
Syrmin@reddit
They are peaceful, calm and hardworking. Exactly as migrants should be. Never had any bad experience with them.
alkorisno@reddit
We have a lot to learn from Nepalj
Ok_Eagle_3079@reddit
They are taking low paying work. No problems so far in Bulgaria I think that people mostly ignore them i have seen them work in Hospitals large retail chains and shopping malls.
This_Lion5856@reddit
I've worked with many Nepalese people in London and I don't mind them tbf, they are mostly chill and hardworking and fairly similar to us
StevenAdamsInDallas@reddit
Don't like it.
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
I like Neapoli.
Magistar_Idrisi@reddit
There's a lot of racism towards Nepali workers, unfortunately. And there's literally 0 reason for that. Balkan people just have to scratch their racist itch.
My personal interactions with Nepalis in Croatia have been great. Really nice and friendly people, most of them.