Bangladesh exports 96,396 workers in January 2026

ফাইল ছবি

Staff Correspondent: Bangladesh exported a total of 96,396 workers to different overseas countries during the month of January 2026, according to the data of Bureau, Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
‎Bangladesh exported a total of 66,173 workers to KSA, 5980 workers to Qatar, 5465 workers to Singapore, 2951 workers to the Maldives, 2,659 workers to Kuwait, 1864 workers to Jordan, 1511 workers to  Iraq, 1457  workers in 1457, 739 workers in Portugal, 580 workers in Italy and 733 workers in Laos.                
‎Meanwhile, the country's remittance inflow witnessed a remarkable year-on-year growth of 45.1 percent, reaching US$3.17 billion in  January, making it the third highest remittance inflow for a single month in  the country's history.
‎The country had received $2.19 billion in remittances in the same period last  year, according to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data.   Bangladesh received $3.29 billion in March of the fiscal year 2024-25 which  was the highest remittance inflow for a single month in the country's history  and $3.23 billion in December 2025, making it the second highest remittance  inflow for a single month.
‎During July to January in the current 2025-26 fiscal year, expatriate  Bangladeshis sent $19.44 billion remittances against $15.96 billion for the  same period of the previous fiscal.
‎Talking to BSS, a senior official of the central bank said Bangladesh Bank  has taken different steps to increase remittance to overcome the foreign  exchange crisis and increase reserves.
‎These measures have had a positive impact on expatriate income or remittance  coming into the country, he added.
‎The national election of Bangladesh will be held on February 12, 2026 and expat Bangladeshis sent increased money to their party candidates, particularly to BNP and Jamaat candidates in Bangladesh.
‎Over 80-85 per cent workers are being sent in the middle-east countries as the a major labour market in Malaysia being remained closed since July, 2024.
‎Sources said supporters of some religious parties are sending money home since last 2/3 months to ensure victory of their respective parties.   
‎Meanwhile, a total of 11,16,725 male and female workers, who went abroad between January and December 28, 2025, remitted $15,791 million, according to a ministry official.
‎“Manpower export is a prospective sector and the government declared it as a thrust sector,” the official said, adding that the government has taken a realistic approach to send workers abroad with employment.
‎Bangladesh sent a total of 13,03,453 workers with overseas jobs in 2023, while the number was 10,11,969 in 2024, the official added.
‎According to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data, expatriates sent remittances amounting to $15,791 million during July to December 27, 2025, of the current fiscal year, compared to $13,545 million in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
‎It said in fiscal year 2024-25, remittance inflows crossed $30 billion for the first time, rising by a record $6.4 billion. Previously, the highest remittance received by Bangladesh was $24.8 billion in fiscal year 2020-21.
‎Recruiting agents and migrant workers’ rights groups said overseas employment faced a setback in some traditional destinations, such as Malaysia, but the identification of new destinations and increased demand for Bangladeshi workers in several countries helped reverse the situation.
‎Bangladesh has been witnessing a rising trend in remittance inflows since December last year due to multiple factors. These include a narrowing gap between official and informal exchange rates and a crackdown on money laundering, according to a private bank official.
‎According to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET),  a total of 744,619 Bangladeshi nationals went to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with jobs, while Qatar received 1,06,805 overseas job seekers. Apart from this, Singapore received 69,491 Bangladeshi job seekers during the last 11 months and 28 days.
‎“We’ve been working to increase number of overseas migrant workers as well as ensure the rights and protection of them,” he said.
‎The government explored some new destinations, including Russia, Brunei Darussalam and Eastern Europe for the skilled and semi-skilled workers, he added.
‎The Bangladesh Bank's data said that expatriate Bangladeshis sent over $26,889.54 million remittances from January 1 to December 31, 2024.
‎Experts said expatriates sent home the money they saved after covering their regular and other necessary expenses.
‎They said the government to invest in developing need-based skilled manpower like nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers, as its demand would increase in many countries.
‎The government set up many training centres in different districts along with skill development programmes to create skilful jobseekers. Job seekers usually get various trainings including diploma in ship building engineering, refrigeration and air-conditioning, general mechanics, electrical machine maintenance, auto CAD 2D and 3D, welding (6G), catering, mason, Korean, Arabic, canton, Japanese language and others.
‎The government also encouraged documented overseas employment, as an important component of earning foreign currency.