Labour exports rise 30% in July

Overseas job placements increased by approximately 30% to 71,441 in July compared to the previous month, despite widespread unrest across the country. 

However, the figure represents the second-lowest level of foreign employment in the past 33 months, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment, and Training (BMET).

Labour recruiters anticipate that the full impact of the nationwide unrest, particularly the quota-reform protests, on foreign job placements will become clearer in the next two months. This is because the migration process for workers typically takes over two months to complete.

In June this year, Bangladesh dispatched 55,045 workers abroad. This was before Malaysia halted the entry of foreign labourers at the beginning of the month, a suspension that remains in place. 

Meanwhile, foreign job placements decreased by over 43% compared to July of the previous year.

“The process for those who went in July was completed in May-June or even earlier. So, how the process went last month will be reflected in this month or the next. Therefore, it cannot be said right now whether the ongoing flow of workers will be seen in the upcoming months’ figures,” Ali Haider Chowdhury, secretary general of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), told TBS. 

He added, “Saudi Arabia is still our biggest market. While maintaining traditional markets, we need to try to open up more opportunities in new markets.”

Saudi Arabia recruited the highest number of workers, 47,867, in July, followed by the UAE, Singapore, Quarter, and Kuwait. 

Most workers are going to the construction industry, and some are also in the service sector and housekeeping in Saudi Arabia.  

Earlier in May this year, recruitment in Saudi Arabia was only 30,000, as the BMET did not issue clearance cards for two weeks against single visa holders who lack attestation from the Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh.

The measures were taken to prevent the joblessness of Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia.

Besides the traditional labour market in the Middle East, some European countries continuously hire workers from Bangladesh, although in small numbers.

Among them, 392 went to Croatia, 142 in Cyprus, 137 in Portugal, 258 in Romania, 131 in Serbia, and 251 in the UK in the last month. 

Emphasis on sending more skilled workers

The labour recruiters suggest more rigorous efforts to send skilled workers to European destinations. 

“Currently, there is a good demand for construction workers in Saudi Arabia. However, processing may be delayed due to the recent instability. Hopefully, the flow of workers will accelerate as the situation normalises in the future,” ShamimAhmed Chowdhury Noman, former secretary general of Baira, told TBS.  

He added, “If the Malaysian labour market does not reopen within two or three months, the target of sending more than 10 lakh workers this year, as in the previous two years, will not be met.”

Malaysia has already closed the labour market since 1 June amid huge allegations of corruption and mismanagement against the responsible recruiting agencies.

The Malaysian authorities allowed only 100 private and one government recruiting agency to send workers. The private agencies are widely known as syndicates in the Malaysian labour market. 

The former state minister for expatriate welfare and overseas employment, Shofiqur Rahman Choudhury, had told journalists that a joint working group meeting is scheduled to be held by next month where the decision would be made about the reopening of the Malaysian labour market.  

Although Bangladesh sent 60,000 to 70,000 workers per month in the pre-Covid period, the number increased to more than 1 lakh in the post-Covid era.  

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s remittance inflow fell to a 10-month low of $1.90 billion in July as expatriates were unable to send funds for some time due to an internet blackout centring the students’ quota reform movement. Besides, a no remittance campaign was spread by expatriates as part of the movement against the immediate-past Sheikh Hasina-led government.

Earlier, the lowest expatriate income came in September last year at $1.33 billion.

The July receipts were lower by 3.2% year-on-year as banks could not collect the money sent home by migrant workers because of a five-day internet blackout across the country.

Remittance receipts were $1.97 billion in July last year, according to the Bangladesh Bank.