As the corona situation marked an overall improvement with economies of labour-importing countries started picking up gradually, the manpower export during the January-March period of the current calendar year posted 220 per cent growth over the same period of the previous year, according to data of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
Bangladesh exported a record of 322,583 workers to overseas countries during the January-March period of the current calendar year 2022 as against 146,895 workers during the same period, according to data of (BMET).
Saudi Arabia was the top destination of Bangladeshi workers with 206,057 workers (over 63.88per cent of the market share) followed by Oman with 41,617 workers (12.90 per cent), UAE with 39,827 workers (12.35 per cent), Singapore with 13,564 (4,14 per cent), Jordan with 5,017 workers (1.56 per cent), Qatar with 4496 (1.39 per cent), Kuwait with 1966 workers (0.61 per cent), Italy with 325 workers (0.10 per cent) and UK with 66 workers (0.02 per cent), according to data of BMET.
Bangladesh exported a total of 1008,525 workers in 2017, the highest number in one year, during the last 50 years.
Meanwhile, Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad said recently that the Bangladesh government will maintain total transparency in sending its workers to Malaysia as the Southeast Asian country has opened its labour market after three years.
He expressed this view at a reception organized by the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia marking the 51th Independence Day of Bangladesh in Kuala Lumpur recently.
“No syndicate will be allowed in sending workers to Malaysia as the government is also committed to keep the migration cost at minimum level in compliance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) convention,” said Ahmad.
The present trend shows that Bangladesh can export some 12-13 lakh workers, and surpass the previous highest record in exporting manpower to overseas countries, said SM Zillur Rahman, Chairman of Rahman Group, and former director of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Based on the present statistics of three months, Bangladesh can export 12-13 lakh workers this year, a new milestone in the history of the country.
“As the manpower export getting high momentum in 2022, the government should also devise mid- and long-term strategy to send more skilled workers abroad in 2021 since some closed labour markets are expected to reopen this year,” Zillur Rahman added.
Rahman, a former director of Dhaka Chamber and Chamber and Industry (DCCI), also said “massive vaccination of the country’s population also help Bangladesh attain the present momentum in manpower 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, opined Rahman Bangladesh exported a total of 700,159 workers in 2019, a total of 734,181 and a total of 1008,525 workers in 2017.
Bangladesh sent a total of 10,57,223 workers to Malaysia during the period of 1976-2021. The country exported 175,927 workers in 2018 and only 545 workers, 125 workers and 24 workers in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The country exported only a total of 34 workers during the January-March period of the current calendar year Bangladesh had exported a total of 10,57,056 skilled and unskilled workers to the Southeast Asian country during 1976--2019 period, according to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
Bangladesh exported a total of 14 workers to Malaysia in 2021, 125 workers in 2020, 545 workers in 2019, 175,927 workers in 2018 and 99,787 workers in 2017.
After 2018, Bangladesh will have almost a substantial labour market in Malaysia.
The country exported only 34 workers to Malaysia during January-March 2022 period, according to BMET.