Speakers stress exploring more overseas jobs for women

Speakers at a webinar have suggested the authorities concerned to put stress on creating more overseas employment opportunities for women as job scope in readymade garment sector declined at this moment.

They also called for taking proper steps for ensuring safe migration for women so that they can avoid any kind of unwanted situations in abroad, according to a press release.

The observations were made at a virtual discussion on Thursday jointly organised by Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF), Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID)and Drishti Research Centre (DRC). Academicians, researchers and rights campaigners, among others, were present at the event.

Secretary of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry Ahmed Munirus Saleheen and Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO Work in Freedom Programme were present at the progarmme as chief guest and special guest respectively.

ERF General Secretary S M Rashidul Islam moderated the event with its President Sharmeen Rinvy in the chair.

In the keynote speech, Economist and RAPID Chairman MA Razzaque informed that the size of labour force is 63.5 million in the country that comprises with 43.5 million male and 20 million female workers.

"The number of unemployed labours is 2.7 million. Additional 2.0 million jobs need to be created every year in Bangladesh," he said.

During the programme, Social Anthropologist Madame Thérèse Blanchet shared the findings of a survey that found lower number of outbound female workers than male despite having records of spending lower costs by women for migration.

"Around 14 per cent of the female workers went abroad without paying any fees to the recruiting agency. Such matter never occurred for male migrant workers," she said citing the survey.

Ms Blanchet added that although there are some risks and difficulties for migration of female workers, considerably lower costs can make migration an attractive opportunity for them.