Bangladesh received $25.74 billion in remittances in the eight months leading up to October 10, while 443,021 workers secured overseas jobs in 109 countries. Amid war-related disruptions in the Middle East, the government has begun exploring new labour markets.

According to data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), Saudi Arabia received the highest number of Bangladeshi workers during the period, with 218,508 people going to the country.

Besides, 53,297 workers went to Singapore, followed by 42,516 to Qatar, 24,070 to the Maldives, 20,661 to the United Arab Emirates and 20,254 to Kuwait for employment.

During the same period, 10,010 Bangladeshi workers went to Jordan, while 7,077 to Italy, 5,386 to Portugal and 2,878 to Iraq. 

In addition, 2,714 workers went to Mauritius, while 2,550 to Serbia, 2,443 to Fiji, 2,222 to Belarus and 2,206 to Russia.

Prime Minister’s adviser for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Mahdi Amin said manpower exports began during the tenure of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, while former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia institutionalised the sector by establishing a separate ministry.

He said Tarique Rahman’s government had prioritised safe and legal migration from the outset and made visible progress in a short time.

However, the ongoing war in the Middle East had adversely affected major labour markets, reducing labour demand and creating unexpected challenges. Despite these global challenges, the government remained committed to achieving its election manifesto targets, he added.

Mahdi Amin said the government had taken initiatives to reopen labour markets closed during the previous government’s tenure, explore new destinations and expand employment opportunities in existing markets through diplomatic efforts.

He said special emphasis was being placed on developing skilled and trained workers to benefit both migrants and the country. 

Training programmes were being expanded nationwide to teach prospective migrant workers foreign languages in addition to Bangla and English, he said, adding, “Technical training centres and vocational institutes were also providing them with skills required for overseas employment.”

He expressed optimism that these initiatives would yield positive results soon. 

Talking to BSS, State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Md. Nurul Hoque, MP told BSS that the outbreak of war in the Middle East immediately after the government took office had created major challenges to implementing its election manifesto.

In this situation, initiatives have been taken to legalise the status of Bangladeshi workers who had become undocumented while staying in the Middle East, he said. 

Despite the war, he continued, around 350,000 workers went to the Middle East.

Mentioning that the government had started exploring new labour markets in different countries as the war had created a crisis in the major labour markets of the Middle East, Nurul Hoque said that opportunities had emerged to send workers to several countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is also visiting different countries and holding discussions on expanding labour markets, he added.

Remittance surges:
According to Bangladesh Bank data, expatriate Bangladeshis sent a total of $ 25.73912 billion in remittances to the country between February 1 and October 10 this year.

Of the total, $ 3.01945 billion came in February, while $ 3.75221 billion in March, $3.12332 billion in April, $3.44258 billion in May, $2.81903 billion in June, $2.85876 billion in July, $2.96753 billion in August and $2.76624 billion in September. Remittances amounted to $990 million in the first 10 days of October.

Initiatives to expand new labour markets:
Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, MP said the process of sending 10,000 workers to Malaysia free of cost was underway as efforts continued to reopen the country's labour market, which had remained closed for a long time. 

The ministry also said formalities for sending workers to Malaysia under calling visas were in the final stages.

The five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bangladesh and Malaysia on the labour market, signed on December 19, 2021, will expire on December 31 this year. Bangladesh hopes to send more workers to Malaysia under a new agreement after the expiry of the existing MoU.

Oman, another Middle Eastern country, has expressed interest in recruiting 10,000 workers in different sectors. 

Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro, at a meeting with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, expressed interest in taking around 12,000 Bangladeshi citizens to Italy every year along with their families.

During a meeting with Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury at Probashi Bhaban in May, Qatar expressed keeness in recruiting skilled workers from Bangladesh in four sectors: electricians, welding, air-conditioning technicians and plumbing.

The recruitment issue was discussed at the meeting with Qatar's Labour Minister Ali bin Saeed bin Samikh Al-Marri. The ministry said the process of sending workers based on Qatar's interest was underway.

The ministry said Qatar would train workers in those sectors and recruit suitable candidates. Bangladesh has provided Qatar with a list of Technical Training Centres (TTCs). Qatar has now informed Bangladesh that it would conduct its training programmes and recruit workers from the country on a regular basis, according to the ministry.

Besides, Dubai Taxi Company has expressed interest in recruiting 6,000 skilled drivers. A delegation of the company met officials responsible for the Expatriates' Welfare Ministry in May this year. 

During the meeting, State Minister Nurul Hoque called for reducing the cost of sending Bangladeshi workers to Dubai.

Ariful Haque Choudhury said the government had been working amid a complex global situation since assuming office. There had been no visible improvement in the war situation so far.

Despite the circumstances, the government was working to ensure the safety of expatriate workers, while special emphasis was being placed on sending new workers abroad, he said, expressing hope that the number of workers going abroad would increase within a short time.

He said work was underway to ensure that expatriate cards reached expatriates quickly. The ministry and the government were working tirelessly to expand facilities for expatriates, ensure their welfare and create new labour markets, he added.