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Bangladesh sent 65,233 workers abroad in October, 55 per cent higher than in the previous month, official data showed, following a turnaround from the pandemic-time slump in manpower export.
Statistics available with the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) showed a total of 383,032 Bangladeshi workers found jobs during the January-October period of the current calendar year 2021.
A total of 65,233 workers went in October alone to different job-destination countries. On the other hand, 42,008 workers went in September.
The BMET data, released recently, reflect the coronavirus-induced slump last year and a rebound this year with the pandemic receding after the second wave.
Manpower recruiters could send only 217,669 workers in 2020 according to the official count. Vital job-destination countries had suspended air travel for a certain time to check coronavirus infection last year.
Officials said presently Saudi Arabia is hiring the largest number of workers from Bangladesh under an extended quota.
Saudi Arabia increased job quota for Bangladeshi workers to 40 per cent from 30 per cent in the private sector recently.
The Arab nation hired about 78 per cent of the total workers, sent by Bangladesh in the last 10 months of this year. The figure showed 298,290 workers went to Saudi Arabia during the period.
Bangladesh sends workers mainly to 17 to 18 countries. Of those, majority of the workers went to the gulf states.
The BMET statistics revealed that the second-highest number of recruits was taken by Oman, numbering 29,380, followed by Singapore's 16,111, Jordan's 10,210, Qatar's 8,289 and United Arab Emirates' (UAE) 5,857.
Hopefully, the trend in the outflow of workers would continue in the remaining months this year, said manpower recruiters and officials.
They said they are working with the demands from different countries especially from Saudi Arabia.
If the trend continues, the country would be able to send nearly 500,000 workers in 2021, they guessed.
Bangladesh should explore more jobs on the international market, they also think.
However, recently Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad at the 14th meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on his ministry said outflow of workers abroad increased nowadays.
More than 150,000 workers went overseas between July and October. And demand notes for workers are coming from various countries regularly.
The minister mentioned that the rate of overseas employment has returned to normal like before the coronavirus outbreak.
Migrant rights activists emphasised ensuring quality migration so that workers do not suffer in the destination countries. Market analysis was essential before sending workers abroad, they observed.
According to them, 'visa trading' should be prevented to ensure safe and orderly migration.
Still, workers pay high recruitment fees and face different forms of maltreatment because of such unethical practices.
Over 13 million Bangladeshi workers have found jobs abroad since 1976. The migrant workers annually send $15-16 billion home as remittances. It is Bangladesh's second-largest source of foreign exchange earning after its garment industry.