Manpower export to Qatar decreases by 90pc
Manpower export to Qatar from Bangladesh has decreased by 90 per cent in the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year.
According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), only 3,503 workers went to the Middle Eastern country during January-June this year while the number was 36,070 in the first six months of 2019.
Among the Middle Eastern countries, Qatar is the third largest manpower export destination of Bangladesh preceded by Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Bangladesh ambassador in Qatar Ashud Ahmed attributed the reason of decline to the impact of coronavirus.
Qatar authorities, on the other hand, contend that the coronavirus is not the major reason behind this decline in the labour market.
A huge number of Bangladeshi workers went to Qatar in recent years as the country undertook massive development works centering the world cup.
They say many unskilled expatriate workers would have to go back to their respective countries as construction works of the stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup are nearing the end.
A huge number of Bangladeshi workers went to Qatar in recent years as the country undertook massive development works centering the World Cup.
Construction of three stadiums have already been finished while that of another two are about to be completed.
Meanwhile, Qatar labour ministry and Qatar chamber have taken initiatives for the workers who lost jobs during the coronavirus crisis. The workers who lost their jobs have been asked to register their names on the chamber's website. The companies that need expatriate workers are being asked to recruit some of these jobless people.
While the demand for unskilled workers decreases in Qatar, the Bangladeshi ambassador in Qatar said the demand for skilled manpower is increasing .
“We are working on increasing the opportunity for skilled migrants in different sectors. We are working on opening windows for skilled professionals such as physicians, nurses and engineers. We are also focusing on sectors like IT and marketing.”
Not only in Qatar, the number of Bangladeshi workers has decreased in the first half of the year in other countries, too.
A total of 157,494 Bangladeshi workers went to six gulf countries between January and July this year. The number was 232, 907 in the same period last year.