According to BMET data, Bangladesh exported a record 615,518 workers to overseas countries during the period of the January-June period of the current calendar year as against 243,807 workers during the same period last year. COURTESY
• According to BMET data, Bangladesh exported a record 615,518 workers to overseas countries during the period
• Malaysia sheds light on recruitment of Bangladeshi workers
Export of Bangladeshi workers during the January-June period of this calendar year posted over 250 per cent growth over the same period from the previous year, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Trading (BMET.)
According to BMET data, Bangladesh exported a record 615,518 workers to overseas countries during the period of the January-June period of the current calendar year as against 243,807 workers during the same period last year.
Saudi Arabia was the top destination of Bangladeshi workers with 385,595 workers (over 62.65 per cent of the market share) followed by Oman with 83,764 workers (13.61 per cent), UAE with 65,351 workers (10.62 per cent), Singapore with 29,093 (4.73 per cent), Jordan with 8,628 workers (1.40 per cent), Qatar with 4,496 (1.55 per cent), Kuwait with 6,310 workers (1.03 per cent), Italy with 757 workers (0.12 per cent) and UK with 144 workers (0.03 per cent), according to BMET data.
Bangladesh exported a total of 111,539 workers to different countries during June, as against 77,421 in the previous month.
As the Russia-Ukraine war began February, the conflict may slow down recruitment of workers on grounds of high cost of living and possible social unrest, said a leading manpower exporter while talking to this correspondent. Bangladesh exported a total of 1,008,525 workers in 2017, the highest number in one year, during the last 50 years.
With Malaysia set to reopen soon after visit of Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Saravanan to Bangladesh recently, Bangladesh can export some 1-1.2 million workers, and surpass the previous highest record in exporting labour to overseas countries, based on the current statistics, said SM Zillur Rahman, chairman of Rahman Group, and former director of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).
As labour export gains momentum in 2022, the government should also devise mid and long-term strategies to send more skilled workers abroad since some closed labour markets are expected to reopen later this year, he also said.
Rahman also mentioned that mass vaccination of the population also helped Bangladesh attain the present momentum in labour export.
Economies of major Gulf countries and Southeast Asian countries are also getting back on the right track that also help to get present momentum, he opined.
Bangladesh exported 700,159 workers in 2019, 734,181 in 2018 and 1,008,525 workers in 2017.
Proper training of Bangladeshi workers is important on some issues to regain labour markets in Qatar and Kuwait, as some young Bangladeshis engage themselves in crime to become rich overnight. Though the number of Bangladeshis engaging in crime is less than 0.002 per cent, the negative incidents are highlighted as the crime law is relaxed in Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Oman compared to the strict laws in Saudi Arabia , said a person who works in the mission of a Gulf country in Dhaka.
As the pandemic has improved in recent times, the government should plan to send more skilled workers abroad this year, since some closed labour markets are expected to reopen this year, according to a member of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA).
Ali Haider Chowdhury, former secretary general of BAIRA, told this correspondent that the UAE has opened its labour market to Bangladeshis and the labour export to this Gulf market may reach 50,000 next year.
Bangladesh exported a total of 93 workers to Kuwait in 2021, 1744 workers in 2020, 12,299 in 2019 and 27,637 workers in 2018. Meanwhile, Bangladesh exported 5,207 workers in 2021, 3,608 workers and 50,292 workers to Qatar.
Bangladeshi workers received a record $22,070.87 million as remittance during 2021 as against $21,752.27 million in 2020, a 1.46 per cent rise in the just concluded year, according to the statistics of BMET.
Bangladesh has become the 8th largest remittance-receiving country and the 6th largest migrant-sending country in the world, according to the World Migration Report 2022.
The pandemic situation has improved in Asia after successful vaccination in major labour-importing countries. The economies of Gulf countries and Southeast Asian countries are also on the right track after the pandemic hits the global economies, said a leader of BAIRA.
Malaysia sheds light on recruitment of Bangladeshi workers
Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri Saravanan Murugan said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was not involved in selecting the 25 worker recruitment companies in Bangladesh.
A press statement released by the Malaysian ministry said the allegations about the prime minister are “totally false and unfounded.”
“My statement of meeting with her excellency and explaining the current affairs of the Bangladeshi foreign workers in our country is taken out of context. My meeting with Her Excellency was to narrate the current situation of foreign workers and the initiatives taken by my ministry for better working conditions,” the statement said.
The authorities in Bangladesh provided a list of 1,520 recruitment companies, of which the Malaysian Human Resources Ministry only selected 25.
The release added: “Prior to this exercise, there were only 10 companies involved in the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh. Moreover, the monopolistic nature of the 10 companies led to many workers who were lured by the promise of decent work and were subsequently left stranded by agencies from both countries.”
Therefore, to safeguard the welfare and livelihood of foreign workers, they agreed to increase from 10 to 25 companies to ensure a check and balance mechanism is implemented in the 25 designated companies.
The Human Resources Ministry will further accredit another 250 companies from the list provided by our Bangladesh counterpart, in order to prevent monopoly and abuse. These 250 companies selected are set to work within the structure of the 25 companies,reads the press statement.
“In simple terms, each of the 25 companies will be allocated 10 companies to incubate and to be part of the recruitment ecosystem especially in meeting the standards and guidelines set by the Human Resources Ministry,” says the release.
The ministry further explained the difference and systematic way the companies would operate by saying: “First of all, the Human Resources Ministry only deals with the 25 designated companies. They are monitored by the ministry closely, so to ensure International Labour Organization (ILO) guidelines relating to the welfare of the workers are adhered to, especially in terms of living and working conditions of foreign workers.”
“Malaysia is serious in tackling the issue of forced labour which is tarnishing our intemational standing. And secondly, it is the sole responsibility of the 25 to ensure the other 250 meet the strict recruitment standards and international best practices set by the Human Resources Ministry,” it added.
“Taking this opportunity, I would like to clear the misconception that the Human Resources Ministry has a preference for certain source countries. Contrary to that, the Ministry is only involved in giving approvals to our respective companies to recruit foreign workers to meet their production demands,” the statement reads.
There are 14 countries from which any companies can source their workers, not particularly only from Bangladesh. “Moreover, when I came on board, I made a decision that there will not be any direct or special approval, a rampant practice before which has created too many backlashes especially in-terms of our nation's international reputation,” it said.
Henceforth, the statement by the human resource minister, said all approvals must come from the Human Resources Ministry, following the strict process already in place.
“Though these may seem like a small step to take, it will have a positive outcome in the future,” it added.
Meanwhile, the one-stop centre for foreign workers' approval which was previously under the Home Affairs Ministry has been transferred to the Human Resources Ministry, and to date, the department has approved approximately 230,000 workers as of Wednesday.
“I would like to congratulate everyone in the Human Resources Ministry for their tireless efforts in helping our business and industry players to overcome their labour shortage predicament. And the Department further reaffirms its commitment to continuous assistance to our business community,” it reads.
It is now up to the relevant companies which have obtained their approvals to pay the levy and make the recruitment and submit the medical report to get a visa with reference to the Home Ministry to expedite the rest of the process to ensure the survivability of our enterprises, reads the statement.
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