Surge in overseas employment as demand in Saudi grown

For the past two years, an average of over 100,000 workers have migrated abroad every month. However, this trend began to decline earlier this year. Adding to the downturn, the Malaysian labour market has been closed since June, further reducing the number of workers going abroad. 

Recently, though, migration has started to pick up again, driven primarily by demand in Saudi Arabia. Over 200,000 workers left for various countries in October and November alone.

According to the Bangladesh Manpower, Employment and Training Bureau (BMET), more than 1.1 million workers went abroad in 2022. The figure was 1.3 million last year.

This year, 900,000 workers have went abroad in the first 11 months, and the number could reach 1 million by year-end. This marks a decline by 300,000 workers compared to last year.

In this context, International Migrants Day is being observed worldwide today, alongside Bangladesh’s National Expatriates Day. This year’s theme is: “Expatriates’ Rights, Our Commitment; Bangladesh Without Discrimination is for All of Us.”

The recent increase in employment in Saudi Arabia is attributed to the country’s preparations for hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Massive infrastructure projects are underway, leading to a sustained demand for workers.

This year, 60 per cent of Bangladeshi migrant workers have gone to Saudi Arabia, and in the past two months, over 80 per cent of the total employment abroad has been in that country.

Migration to Saudi Arabia follows strict guidelines. Workers must secure employment through a specific employer or sponsor and are required to work under them. If they deviate from these terms, they risk being classified as illegal. Changing jobs requires prior approval from both the employer and Saudi authorities.

Ali Haider Chowdhury, Secretary General of BAIRA, a private organisation of recruiting agency owners, told Prothom Alo that the global labour market is shrinking. “Workers are mainly going to Saudi Arabia now. There is a consistent demand for labour to support the country’s infrastructure development. To sustain this trend, technical committees from both countries should meet and address the existing challenges,” he said.

The Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RAMRU) has identified single-country dependence as a major challenge for Bangladesh’s labour market. 

Historically, workers have migrated in large numbers to a particular country, but when issues arose, that labour market often closed for several years. This has resulted in the employment of Bangladeshi workers being restricted to a small number of countries.

Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Md. Ruhul Amin told Prothom Alo that efforts are ongoing to diversify labour markets. New markets have been opened in Brunei, and workers are now being sent to Russia.

Additionally, discussions between Bangladesh and Malaysia are scheduled to address the reopening of the Malaysian labour market. He also highlighted the growing demand for skilled workers in Europe, emphasising the need to improve worker skills to meet these demands.

Experts believe that eliminating discrimination in the immigration sector will require the government to adopt new policies. They suggest that embassies in destination countries should cease verifying worker requests, allotting this responsibility entirely to recruiting agencies. 

This shift would reduce the risk of workers facing unemployment upon arrival. Embassies’ labour wings should instead focus on ensuring services to expatriates. Currently, labour wing officials are often administrative cadre officers temporarily assigned to the role, which often leads to inadequate service. 

Experts propose creating a dedicated cadre under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment to address this issue. Furthermore, middlemen should be brought under a legal framework through registration and regulation.

Tasneem Siddiqui, founding chair of RAMRU, emphasised that dependence on specific labour markets remains Bangladesh’s greatest weakness, a challenge that has persisted for decades.

However, she noted that forming syndicates are no longer viable, offering an opportunity for the new government to introduce reforms. 

Tasneem Siddiqui also stressed that while the number of workers going abroad may decrease, ensuring employment for all is crucial. To achieve this, recruiting agencies must be held accountable for their operations.

* The report, originally published in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Farjana Liakat