A total of 443,021 Bangladeshi workers travelled to 109 countries for legal employment between February and October 10, while the country received $25.74 billion in remittances during the same period, according to official data.
Data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) show that Saudi Arabia remained the leading destination for Bangladeshi workers, with 218,508 people travelling there for employment.
Other major destinations included Singapore, which received 53,297 workers; Qatar, 42,516; the Maldives, 24,070; the United Arab Emirates, 20,661; and Kuwait, 20,254.
During the same period, 10,010 Bangladeshi workers went to Jordan, 7,077 to Italy, 5,386 to Portugal and 2,878 to Iraq.
The figures also included 2,714 workers travelling to Mauritius, 2,550 to Serbia, 2,443 to Fiji, 2,222 to Belarus and 2,206 to Russia. Middle East Conflict Creates Challenges
Nurul Haque, state minister for expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment, said the outbreak of war in the Middle East shortly after the government took office had created major challenges for implementing its election manifesto.
He said the government had taken initiatives to regularise the status of Bangladeshi workers who had become undocumented in Middle Eastern countries. Despite the conflict, around 350,000 workers had travelled to the region for employment, he added.
As the conflict has disrupted major labour markets in the Middle East, the government has begun exploring new employment opportunities in other countries. Opportunities have emerged in parts of the Asia-Pacific region and Europe, the state minister said.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has also been visiting different countries and holding discussions aimed at expanding overseas employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers. Remittances Reach $25.74 Billion
According to Bangladesh Bank data, expatriate Bangladeshis sent a total of $25.73912 billion between February 1 and October 10 this year.
Monthly remittance inflows were recorded at $3.01945 billion in February, $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 totalled $990 million during the first 10 days of October. Government Seeks to Expand Overseas Labour Markets
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said plans were underway to send 10,000 workers to Malaysia at no cost to the workers, following a prolonged suspension of recruitment to the Malaysian labour market.
The ministry also said preparations for sending workers to Malaysia under the calling-visa system were nearing completion.
A five-year memorandum of understanding between Bangladesh and Malaysia on labour recruitment, signed on December 19, 2021, is due to expire on December 31 this year. Bangladesh hopes to send more workers to Malaysia through a new agreement.
Oman has expressed interest in recruiting 10,000 Bangladeshi workers across various sectors.
Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro also expressed interest in bringing around 12,000 Bangladeshi citizens to Italy annually with their families during a meeting with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. Qatar, Dubai Express Recruitment Interest
During a meeting with Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury at Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in May, Qatar expressed interest in recruiting skilled Bangladeshi workers in four fields: electrical work, welding, air-conditioning technology and plumbing.
The meeting was attended by Qatar’s Labour Minister Ali bin Saeed bin Samikh Al Marri, and discussions focused on recruitment.
The ministry said the process of sending workers was underway. Bangladesh has provided Qatar with a list of Technical Training Centres (TTCs), and Qatar is expected to conduct training in the relevant sectors before recruiting suitable workers from Bangladesh on a regular basis.
Dubai Taxi Company has also announced plans to recruit 6,000 skilled drivers. Representatives of the company met officials responsible for the expatriates’ welfare ministry in May, when State Minister Nurul Haque raised the issue of reducing the cost for Bangladeshi workers travelling to Dubai.
Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the government had been operating in a complex global situation since taking office, with no visible improvement in the conflict so far.
He said the government was working to ensure the safety of expatriate workers while placing special emphasis on sending more workers abroad. He expressed hope that the number of workers travelling overseas would increase in the coming days.
The minister added that work was underway to deliver expatriate cards to migrant workers quickly. He said the ministry and government were continuing efforts to expand services for expatriates, safeguard their welfare and develop new overseas labour markets.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
