'Bangladesh to create skilled manpower for post-Covid overseas jobs'

How will the overseas job scenario be in the post-coronavirus period?

Some 217,669 people migrated abroad for jobs in 2020, and the country received a total of 21.75 billion dollars in remittance which is the highest amount in a single year since the beginning of Bangladesh's labour migration in 1976.

During the ongoing pandemic, which claimed over two million people worldwide, it was feared that thousands of Bangladeshis will return losing jobs.

However, even 100,000 migrants have not returned home, according to the government estimate. On the contrary, the migrants, who came home on leave, were eager to return to their destination countries.

Hundreds of Saudi-bound migrants took to the streets demanding air tickets.

So the labour migration will not be affected to a great extent. After every disaster, opportunities are created too.

How come inward remittance increased during the coronavirus pandemic?

In 2019, the country received some 18.35 billion dollars in remittance. The amount rose to 21.75 billion in 2020. Bangladeshi migrants in different destination countries are bringing their savings home.

Earlier, the migrants would send money through informal channels. But this time, they could not rely on such channels, fearing their money might be lost during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, inflow of remittance has decreased through the illegal channels.

Besides, the government has announced two per cent incentives for remitters. If a migrant remits Tk 100, he will get Tk 102. So migrants were encouraged to send money through the formal channel. It is a praiseworthy decision.

You said opportunities are created after every disaster. What are our opportunities ahead?

In the post-coronavirus period, huge manpower will be required in the medical sector, IT sector and agriculture sector.

Even Europe and America could not handle coronavirus properly due to crisis of medical technicians. Thousands of their people have died of coronavirus. So the medical sector will be a booming sector.

During the coronavirus period, people are discouraged to go out. So they have created a habit to avail all services online.

There will be a great demand of manpower in the IT sector in the Middle East countries. There is still demand for IT people in those countries. Currently unskilled people are going to the Middle East countries. We have to downsize that and we have to create skilled manpower to meet the demand.

Many countries hit hard by COVID-19 have already predicted food, nutrition and immunity system has to be increased. Manpower will also be required for distribution. Instead of decreasing, the demand for skilled manpower will increase significantly.

Where do we lack in seize the opportunity?

There are demands all over the world, especially in Europe but we cannot explore these. Bio-medical engineers are in shortage all over the world. There is a crisis even in our country.

We must establish contact. The expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry, Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) and Bangladesh Association of Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) will work as liaison.

Training facilities have not been created. Bio-medical technicians' course has not been introduced in our training centres. Now some 70 technical training centres are operating in the country.

BMET has carried out a study on 53 countries and submitted a report on the problems and prospects of overseas jobs market in 2018.

We have visited 12 countries physically and carried out study of 41 countries online.

There are possibilities of labour migration in many countries like Brazil, Hong Kong and some countries in Africa. In Brazil, there are demands in the industrial sector.

We have mentioned what type of manpower will be required and we have suggested what has to be done to seize the opportunity.

And now the ministry has to make a plan of action and take action for implementation.

Any other shortcomings?

We have Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 14 countries, three bilateral agreements, Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Japan.

There are technical committees under these MoUs and agreements. Follow-up meetings of the technical committees are not regularly held.

The foreign ministry and the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry have roles in the overseas employment ministry. But the here is a lack of confidence between these two ministries. In absence of coordination, migrants have to suffer.

Philippines manages overseas employment well. How does they handle this?

In our country, Bangladesh Association International Recruiting Agency (BAIRA) alone sends migrants abroad.

This private agency does not send migrants professionally. There are some middlemen in the destination countries and some here in Bangladesh. Although they are sending migrants since 1984, they have not developed professionalism. They never carried out any research.

On the contrary, in Philippines, there are six private agencies. Of them, one agency sends skilled migrants, one sends female migrants and another professionals. Over time, these agencies developed professionalism.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration strictly deal overseas employment.

In Philippines, an aspirant migrant verifies the contract form, visa and power of attorney before migration.

But in our country, an aspirant migrant hardly receives the contract form, visa and the power of attorney. They receive these documents just before flying and they have little chance for verification.

In Philippines, there is a rare instance of cheating. If migrants are ever cheated, their complaints are examined closely and the follow-up action was taken.

There are 30 counters to receive complaints. They remain very up and doing. Soon after receiving complaints, these counters refer the matter to the departments concerned to deal with the complaints, and action is taken accordingly.Philippines issues licences quickly and cancels immediately if they find anomalies.

In our country, a migrant has struggle to lodge a complaint, let alone to get remedy. We have to compel recruiting agencies to hand over contract forms, visas and power of attorney. A mechanism has to be created so that the recruiting agencies are compelled to give these.

Why are migration costs so high in Bangladesh?

Initiatives have been taken, but migration costs have not been reduced. A digital platform has to be created with the destination countries such as South Korea.

There is a mechanism with South Korea and job seekers are selected through lottery. Under the system, the migrants spend a fixed amount of money for migration.

When a migrant migrates, spending huge amount of money, he or she cannot make up the migration cost and as a result, his or her migration becomes unsuccessful. They get involved in crimes to recover the money as they meet the migration costs on credit or selling family land.

Many countries including India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal send migrants at low cost. As there is no visa trading there. Visa is trading only in the case of Bangladesh.

In India, a migrant spends Tk 30,000-80,000 for migration whereas in Bangladesh it starts with Tk 200,000-400,000. Like India, Sri Lanka does the same

How can migrants be protected from fraudulence?

We have to launch a massive campaign to create awareness about the regular migration and the risk of migration as aspirants are not aware of the risk and the middlemen easily cheat them with false promise.

The non-government organisations (NGOs) do this on a small scale.That hardly makes a difference. It is a drop in the ocean. We have to carry out a massive awareness programme.

BMET submitted a project in 2015 or 2016. It is stuck due to bureaucratic tangles. Even donors will assist if the proposal was placed to them. The government should take up a big project.

Many migrants face problems when they return home. Being away for many years, they don't know what to do back home. What should be done for these returnees?

Being absent for many years, the returned migrants cannot adapt in the society and they cannot launch new business. They do not know how to invest. They need counselling.

But in Bangladesh we merely give money to the families of the deceased migrants and scholarships to the children of migrants

There are 55 private banks. None of them offered exclusive products for the migrants.

The government should take up a reintegration programme for returnees.

I have no knowledge that the cooperatives department has done anything for migrants.

But Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan have done well. They organise the families of the expatriates and provide them technical knowledge.

As an individual cannot do anything, they form an association with a number of returnees and they start small businesses and farms.