Bangladesh’s manpower export skyrocket 95pc in August

ফাইল ছবি

Imtiaz Ahmed: The manpower export of Bangladesh skyrocketed by 95 per cent per cent during the month of August compared to the export of July, according to data of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET)         
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 142,665 workers to overseas market during the month of August with the KSA maintaining the top position with 99,381 workers, according to data of BMET.         
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 73,040 workers to overseas market during the month of July with the KSA maintaining the top position with 35,346 workers,  according to data of BMET.         
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 99,381 workers to KSA, 12,128 workers to Kuwait, 10,609 workers to Qatar, 6514 workers to Singapore, 4792 workers to the Maldives, 1932 workers to UAE, 1413 workers to Italy,  831 workers to Iraq,  618 workers to Cyprus, 112 workers to Japan during the month of August.           
‎Sources said Bangladesh exported a total of 99,381 workers to KSA, the single highest number in a one year.
‎Meanwhile, the manpower export of Bangladesh dropped 21 per cent during the month of July compared to the export of June, according to data of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET)         
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 73,040 workers to overseas market during the month of July with the KSA maintaining the top position with 35,346 workers, according to data of BMET.         
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 91,734 workers to overseas market during the month of June with the KSA maintaining the top position with 64,500 workers,    according to data of BMET          
‎The manpower export dropped 13 per cent in the month of June compared to the period of May 2025
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 105,213 workers to different countries in the month of May as against a total of 49,983 workers abroad in April 2025—recording 110 per cent growth over the previous month, according to data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
‎ Bangladesh exported a total of 7339 workers to Qatar, 5712 workers to Singapore, 3644 workers to the Maldives, 1152 to UAE,  2629 workers to Kuwait,  670 workers to  Italy,  112 workers to Japan,  382 workers to Cambodia, 554 workers to Cyprus, 1405 workers to Kyrgyzstan, 107 workers to Brazil,12  workers to the United Kingdom,
‎Bangladesh’s manpower export to overseas countries bounced back in the month of May as manpower export of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Qatar, the Maldives and United Arab Emirates recorded well during last month, according to data of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET)         
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 105,213 workers to different countries in the month of May as against a total of 49,983 workers abroad in April 2025—recording 110 per cent growth over the previous month, according to data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 69,561 workers  to Saudi Arabia as against 28,671  workers recruited in April and a total 80,663 in March.
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 10917 workers to Qatar, 6590 workers to Singapore, 5410 workers to the Maldives, 1231 to UAE,  2184 workers to Kuwait,  789 workers to  Italy,  138 workers to Japan,  405 workers to Cambodia, 668 workers to Cyprus, 1501 workers to Kyrgyzstan, 210 workers to Brazil, 53 workers to the United Kingdom,
‎Meanwhile, Bangladesh sent 49,983 workers abroad in April 2025—marking the lowest  monthly figure in 43 months—as recruitment in Saudi Arabia dropped by more than 64% compared to the previous month, according to data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
‎The sharp decline in Saudi recruitment is attributed to the mandatory attestation requirement by the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh for single visa holders, strictly enforced since late January.
‎The BMET has also implemented strict measures to issue immigration clearance cards following allegations that many Bangladeshi workers were arriving in Saudi Arabia without work permits or confirmed jobs.
‎Overseas employment in April saw a 52% decrease compared to March and was 41% lower than in April last year, available data shows.
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‎Meanwhile, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh interim  government Dr Mohammad  Yunus visited Malaysia during  August 11-13, 2025  at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to deepen multilateral relations with the South Asian country.
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‎During the visit to Malaysia, Chief Adviser to the interim government Dr. Muhammad Yunus discussed with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim the issue of opening manpower market to Bangladeshi workers and seek his intervention into the matter.
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‎The labour market in Malaysia has been closed since June, 2024 and Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus is also likely to raise the issue with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and reopen the labour  market soon.
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‎Human Resources Minister of Malaysia Steven Sim in Kuala Lumpur said that the  recruitment of foreign workers into Malaysia must be based on actual sectoral needs and demands, not driven by business interests or profit-making motives.
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‎The statement issued by the Human Resources Ministry recently  followed Sim's courtesy meeting with Dr Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bangladesh, and Lutfey Siddiqi, Bangladesh's Special Envoy for International Affairs.
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‎According to the ministry, Malaysia and Bangladesh agreed to strengthen the technical coordination mechanism for labour management through the Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting.
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‎In the meeting, the ministry also shared Malaysia’s long-term strategy to reduce dependence on foreign workers.
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‎With major labour markets such as Malaysia, Oman, and Bahrain still closed due to alleged corruption and mismanagement in the recruitment process, sector insiders fear that the shrinking Saudi market could trigger a significant downturn in the overall labour migration sector.
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‎Labour recruiters had long warned about Bangladesh's overdependence on Saudi Arabia, which accounted for around 57% of all overseas job placements in March. These concerns were realised in April with the sharp drop in foreign employment.
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‎Saudi Arabia recruited 28,671 Bangladeshi workers in April, a significant drop from 80,663 in March. Qatar followed with 6,295 workers, and other destinations included Singapore, Kuwait, Jordan, and Kyrgyzstan.
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‎In response to the situation, recruiters have been demanding a simpler process for issuing demand letters for Saudi-bound workers. A large portion of pending visas were cleared in March after protests from recruiting agencies.
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‎In a recent statement, BMET said that the attestation requirement is in line with the Foreign Employment and Migration Act 2013 and the 2017 regulations, designed to ensure safe migration.
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‎Initially, the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh allowed faster processing to facilitate migration, considering Saudi Arabia's role as Bangladesh's largest labour market. However, reports of poor working conditions and premature returns led to stricter enforcement.
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‎To improve efficiency, the embassy has launched a digital system for online attestation of demand letters.
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‎Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made significant progress in resuming visa issuance for Bangladeshi nationals following sustained diplomatic engagement.
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‎ UAE Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdulla Ali ALHmoudi met with the Chief Adviser's Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqi recently in Dhaka.
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‎During the meeting, the ambassador expressed appreciation for Siddiqi's proactive engagement with the UAE government in recent weeks, which included over half a dozen ministerial visits covering visa facilitation and investment cooperation, according to a press release from the Chief Adviser's Office.
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‎Ambassador ALHmoudi informed the special envoy that the UAE Embassy in Dhaka is now issuing 30–50 visit visas daily.
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‎Additionally, bulk visa processing for business delegations has been expedited, boosting both people-to-people and commercial exchanges.
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‎In a major development, the UAE Ministry of Human Resources has reactivated its online system for skilled employment visas. As a result, visas for professionals such as marketing managers and hotel staff have been issued recently. Furthermore, 500 visas for security guards have already been granted, with another 1,000 approved and awaiting issuance.
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‎It is expected that the UAE will gradually ease visa restrictions further in the coming months.
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‎Highlighting the importance of primary education, technical and information communication based (ICT) knowledge, the speakers said country’s manpower export can be increased if steps are taken to develop skills of the disadvantaged communities of the coastal region.