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The country’s overseas employment declined by more than 25 per cent in the first quarter (Q1) of this calendar year over its corresponding period as employment opportunities shrunk at its key job destination countries mainly in Saudi Arabia, official statistics showed.
According to Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), a total of 204,201 Bangladeshi workers went abroad with jobs during the January-March period of 2018 whereas 272,973 workers got overseas jobs in the matching period of 2017.
The official statistics said the outflow of Bangladeshi workers continues to decline over the last two months. During this period the number of recruitment in Middle East saw a slowdown.
The monthly employment figure decreased drastically in March last as only 62,973 workers went overseas then. Some 106,501 Bangladeshi went abroad in the same month in 2017.
Sector insiders said if the trend continues, the target of sending workers set by the government is unlikely to be achieved.
The Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry announced that it will send 1.2 million workers abroad in this year.
Between 1976 and 2017, more than 11 million workers went abroad from the country. Of them about 700,000 are women. Most of the workers are working in Middle East as less-skilled workers.