Record 6.5m workers sent abroad in 10 years

Manpower exports witnessed a record rise over the last ten years as more than 6.5 million workers went abroad with jobs and the country received $133.5 billion remittance since 2009.

“We’ve sent over 6.5 million workers abroad with jobs and received around $133.5 billion remittances till November, 2018 from 2009,” an official of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry told BSS on Thursday.

He said the government sent over one million workers abroad in the last year as the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took various realistic initiatives to expand and glorify the manpower sector.

“The present government was able to send workers to 169 countries as a result of its successful labour diplomacy while the four-party alliance government sent workers to only 69 countries,” he said.

According to the ministry information, many efforts are underway to explore new labour markets and the government has set up a number of technical training centres at district headquarters to develop skilled and semi-skilled workers.

According to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data, Bangladeshi expatriates sent home $133.5 billion from 2009 to November 2018.

Official data of the ministry, migrant workers sent $6.29 billion remittance in the first five months of the current fiscal year 2018-19, $14.98 billion during the same period of fiscal 2017-18, $12.77 billion in 2016-17, $14.93 billion in 2015-16, $ 15.32 billion in 2014-15, $14.22 billion in 2013-14, $14.46 billion in 2012-13, $12.84 billion in 2011-12, $11.65 billion in 2010-11, $ 10.99 billion in 2009-10 and  $9.69 billion in fiscal year 2008-09.

“Due to different steps taken by the government and the central bank, the inflow of remittance in the last couple of years showed an upward trend,” a BB senior official told BSS earlier.

The ministry official said the government reduced migration cost as it is providing necessary training to workers to increase the export of skilled manpower. As a result, the remittance inflow increased gradually and the government declared the manpower export sector as a thrust sector.

“We are very careful about human trafficking… we are providing foreign language training to our overseas job seekers across the country,” he added.

Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have legalized many undocumented Bangladeshi workers, following the present government’s successful diplomatic measures.

Besides, the government signed agreements with different countries including Hong Kong, Jordan, Bahrain and Malaysia for sending workers under government to government system with reduced migration cost.

According to the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), the migration cost has been reduced to 10 per cent against male and 7.0 per cent against female workers during the last three years, reports BSS.