Over 95,000 Bangladeshi migrants return in 4 months

As the global coronavirus pandemic not only raised the death toll, but it also made more than 95,000 expatriate Bangladeshis jobless who returned from different foreign countries in last four months since 1 April, reports BSS.

“As many as 95,062 overseas Bangladeshi workers have lost their jobs and returned to Bangladesh from 26 different foreign nations during 1 April-30 August period”, expatriate welfare desk official M Fakhrul Alam said.

The expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry has taken various programmes including formation of Tk 7 billion fund for the welfare of the jobless Bangladeshi foreign workers
Imran Ahmad, expatriates' welfare and overseas employment minister

Some 88,406 male and 6,656 female Bangladeshi workers mostly lost their jobs due to global COVID-19 pandemic, said Alam who worked at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

“The expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry has taken various programmes including creation of a fund of Tk 7 billion for the welfare of the jobless Bangladeshi foreign workers”, said expatriates welfare and overseas employment minister Imran Ahmad.

The affected expatriate Bangladeshi workers will get investment credit with 4 per cent interest from this fund, said the minister.

In addition to this, Ahmad said the government has earmarked nearly Tk 100 million ‘emergency food and other assistance’ for vulnerable expatriate Bangladeshi workers.

Even the government will give certificate and recognition to the skilled jobless Bangladeshi foreign workers who have been affected due to the world-wide pandemic and the poor Bangladeshi workers and their family members will be brought under the social safety net programme, the minister added.

The highest Bangladeshi foreign workers have been returned from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a total of 25,653 workers. Of them, 24,553 are males and the rest 1100 are females.

Some 15,389 Bangladeshi workers have returned from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Of them, 13,796 are males and 1,593 females. Most of the Bangladeshi workers in the KSA have returned to the country with ‘outpass’ after suffering imprisonment in different jail terms.

As many as 7,909 expatriate Bangladeshi workers returned home after losing jobs in the island nation. Maldives' economy depends on the tourism industry. The country is hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Jobless Bangladeshi workers have also returned from Singapore, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, South Africa, Qatar, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Myanmar, Jordan, Iraq, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Italy, Lebanon, Russia, Mauritius, Turkey, Nepal, Hong Kong, Cambodia and Japan during this time.