Remittance earnings from Italy are continuously rising as a record number of Bangladeshi workers have gone there this year.
Experts said the government of Italy has been hiring employees from different countries in the agriculture, hospitality and manufacturing sectors for the last two years.
Remittance from this country has been rising for several months as a record number of workers have been recruited from Bangladesh, they mentioned. Italy is one of the most profitable destinations in Europe for people moving abroad for work from South Asia, they added.
According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) data, about 14,434 workers, the highest in a year from Bangladesh, were employed in different jobs in Italy till September 20 this year.
On the other hand, remittance earnings stood at around $800 million during January-August period in 2023.
Remittance came to $95.14 million in January, $84.36 million in February, $103.70 million in March, $98.66 million in April, $95.89 million in May, $97.27 million in June, $113.61 million in July and $111.26 million in August this year respectively.
In the fiscal year 2021-22 and 2022-23, the remittance earnings were $1.05 billion and $1.18 billion respectively.
A senior official of the foreign ministry said Bangladeshi workers have a reputation abroad as being hardworking.
Bangladeshi workers get these opportunities abroad very quickly as there are already many Bangladeshis in Italy, which has played a major role in increasing Bangladeshi workers in Italy, he mentioned.
Under the Seasonal Worker Program, a worker is allowed to stay in Italy for 6-9 months per season to work in the agricultural or hospitality sector.
However, Bangladeshi farm workers violate the terms of the program by not returning home at the end of almost every season. In 2012, Italy restricted the privilege of visiting the country for Bangladeshis.
The workers whose visas have expired – most of them claim that they could not earn enough money that they paid the recruiting agencies in such a short period of time.
The way for Bangladeshi seasonal workers to go to Italy is cleared by being listed in Italy's 'Decreto Flussi' on October 12, 2020. The 'Decreto Flussi' is a fixed quota issued by Italy each year, which allows the country's citizens from outside the European Union (EU) to work in Italy.
This year, 44,000 seasonal visas were issued to non-EU nationals, while the remaining 38,705 visas were issued to non-seasonal workers. There is a possibility to extend the validity of such a visa by two years.