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Zahid Hossain Biplob: Labor migration has become an important factor for Bangladesh in respect of employment generation, GDP growth, poverty reduction but in recent years the country is facing severe crisis for manpower export.
Industry insiders said, most manpower-importing countries are interested more in employing skilled workers. The authorities should take pragmatic steps to create a sizeable manpower, properly trained in trades that are in high demand in those countries. Most of the Bangladeshis on jobs abroad are poor and uneducated. There are heavily underpaid and face deprivation by overseas employers very often.

In order to stop the falling trend of manpower export, it is necessary to launch vigorous diplomatic drive to persuade the traditional manpower importing countries to open their doors for the Bangladeshi workers. The Bangladesh missions abroad need to be restructured with a view to effectively dealing with the emerging situation.
Although the matter of taking various initiatives was heard, new labour market is not really being opened to Bangladeshi workers. Some 109,607 Bangladeshi male and 21,458 female went to different destinations in January and February this year. Remittance inflow was $1090.82 million and $1386.61 million in January and February respectively, according to official figure of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
Bangladesh’s overseas employment, according to an official estimate, dropped by more than 24 percent in the first nine months of the current year, compared to that of the corresponding period of previous year. The main destination point of the migrant workers has so far been the Middle East.
But the Gulf nations, mainly Saudi Arabia, are not hiring workers from Bangladesh on a large scale, creating negative impact on overall overseas job scenario in the sector.
Slow development work and restrictions on certain jobs for foreign workers were the main causes behind major fall in manpower export to the Kingdom. Falling oil price, political uncertainty and slow development work are also making it difficult for foreign workers to get jobs.
On the other hand, Malaysia has also suspended manpower recruitment from Bangladesh through the existing system under ‘G2G Plus’ deal due to some alleged unethical practices of the recruiting agencies. The south-east Asian country is now working to launch a new system for hiring manpower. As such, until introduction of the process, labour migration to the country will remain held-up.
Experts said, Bangladesh should try to tap other markets like rich nations in Africa and other oil-enriched Gulf countries like Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE to narrow the gap. In the past, workers could manage to get jobs, but now-a-days, it is difficult due to economic slowdown in most of the Middle Eastern countries. Although the migration cost is still much higher in Bangladesh comparing to the competitors.
The doors of developed countries, including America, Russia, Japan, South Korea and Australia, and some European countries are still closed for the Bangladeshi workers.
In current month, the destination of 90 percent of 1.0 million workers went abroad was the old market like Middle East, Malaysia and Singapore. But the Middle East crisis has been prolonged due to new rules of Saudi Arabia, visa closure of the United Arab Emirates and instability of Libya.
Only sending workers through the Malaysia’s government-to-government plus system has created hope. But introducing the new system of giving Immigration Clearing Certificate (ICC) by setting up an office in Dhaka for sending workers to Malaysia has created fresh complexity in sending Bangladeshi workers abroad.
It was learnt that Bangladesh’s biggest labour market in Saudi Arabia. One of the world’s richest and most oil-producing countries has approved a master plan named ‘Vision-2030’ in its cabinet in April 2016 in order to reduce its oil-dependency in economic matters and improving economy of the country.
The master plan says for coming out from the oil-dependent economy, creating new sectors of employment for young generation in the technology sector and empowering women.
As a part of implementation of the ‘Vision 2030’, the labour ministry of Saudi Arabia imposed a ban on many shops, including mobile, burka, rent-a-car, accounting, women’s ready-made garments, glasses, watches, home appliances, car parts, vehicle showrooms, electrical appliances and electricity materials, hospital equipment, chocolate or sweets, readymade garment, crockery, carpets, furniture or decoration, shopping mall, girls’ school and running heavy vehicles and crane.
They imposed the ban on the increase in the employment for the Saudi citizens at different sectors in the country.
Apart from this, the Saudi government also issued order to appoint the country’s citizens to the top posts of different institutions.
As a result, Bangladeshi expatriates involved in the ‘white colour’ professions of accountants, salespersons, administrators, sales-managers, sales supervisors, finance managers, chief accountants, senior accountants, office-bearers, drivers, receptionists, warehouse managers, lift operators, logistics supervisors are also losing their jobs.
It fears that the labour market in Saudi Arabia will be minimised due to such a decision of the country’s government while the Bangladeshi expatriates are in deep tension.
Bangladeshi workers were in panic after 26 workers were sent back from Singapore on charges of their involvement in militancy.
It was learned that Singapore is taking workers from India and other countries instead of Bangladeshi workers in construction and shipping industry.
Now, the dependency is only on Malaysian labour market in this worse situation. Two government agreements have to be continued in the country. But there are also a number of obstacles.
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) secretary general Ruhul Amin said, “Over 200,000 demand letters came from Malaysia. Of them, 112,000 workers have already flown to the country. Some 60,000 workers are now waiting to go to Malaysia. Hopefully, it will be possible to send 300,000 workers every year to the country.
Many said a foreign company started the process of issuing an immigration clearance certificate (ICS) by opening a new office in Dhaka for sending workers to Malaysia. Before the start of medical tests and other formalities of the workers, they are taking Tk 3045 in the name of immigration clearance.
When the government is trying to reduce the expense of the immigration, it has raised the question about taking money by the unauthorised organisation.
However, ICS officials claimed that they introduced the method as per the negotiations of both countries.

Source:http://www.dailyindustry.news/manpower-export-falls-24pc-last-7-month/