Most of the stranded migrant workers, who could not secure and retain their jobs, are passing miserable life being unable to make living without earning.
Thousands of such ‘jobless’ but able workers are passing days in anxiety as the global job market is yet to stabilize amid the continued Cconvid-19 crisis which bring no positive news as of now.
A large number of migrant workers have lost their jobs due to the stagnation caused by the Cavid-19 epidemic. Many are still unemployed. Since the outbreak of coronavirus in March this year, at least 25 percent of migrant people have lost their jobs.
As a result, job seekers are spending their days in dire straits. Most of the returning workers are not able to return to work. Not only that, they are not getting jobs in the country. So, they are fighting for their livelihood to save their lives. Many of them are now engaged in small business.
Experts said the government should take some specific job creation initiatives in such crisis period. In addition, economists have suggested self-employment initiatives to promote career-oriented education.
About 12 million Bangladeshis have gone abroad with jobs since 1976. Bangladesh Bank (BB) statistics shows that the expatriate Bangladeshis sent home US$ 18.20 billion remittance in last fiscal year (FY), 2019-20, which was $16.42 billion in FY 2018-19.
Rubel Ahmed from Sylhet worked in Saudi Arabia for about 5 years. He returned home in March. He has been trying to get back to work for months. But the company he worked for sent him a message which mentions that his services are no longer required. Instead, Ahmed decided to find an alternative earning source here.
Jaheda Akter, wife of a migrant worker from Moulvibazar, told this correspondent that her husband, Moinul Islam, has been out of work and not sending any money for the last six months.
Her husband went to Dubai (UAE) as a cleaner working in a college seven years back. Before the coronavirus outbreak, he sent money here regularly. However, since the pandemic, her husband rarely sends money.
Her husband has been facing severe crisis of money in Dubai. For this reason, he cannot even communicate with his family in Bangladesh regularly.
"I have borrowed money to maintain my family expenses. Sometimes my father also gives me money. But it is not enough to meet our daily necessities," she said.
When asked, Jaheda Akter said she had decided to get food relief twice before but was refused as she is a migrant's wife. Distributors said relief is only for vulnerable group of people.
It is known that, Bangladesh, like other countries in the world, is struggling to cope with the coronavirus epidemic which started late last year. Especially the situation of the private sector in the country is very fragile. No new staff is being hired, but the entrepreneurs are struggling to retain the old ones.
The implementation of austerity policy is underway in the public sector also. As a result, the recruitment of new staff in government institutions is not happening as before. In the meantime, the way to go abroad is almost closed.
In the last 10 months of this year, 3 lakh workers could not return to work. But at least one million workers went abroad at the same time last year. In addition, at least 12 lakh Bangladeshis have returned to the country in the last few months due to coronavirus panic, out of which only 2 lakhs have been able to return to their previous workplaces.
Within the country, the entire system of jobs, labor market, or the informal sector has almost collapsed. Entrepreneurs are fighting to keep their organization afloat.