High migration cost is harming the economy

The migration cost of a Bangladeshi male migrant worker to any country within Asia or Middle East is more than Tk 300,000. According to latest reports published by the dailies, it takes male migrant workers nearly three years to recover this cost.

A recent study has found that remittance from male migrants has fallen by 11 per cent in 2017 compared to the same category in 2014. This is a concerning information.

This should not be the situation given the fact that Bangladesh has a sizeable youth population. Most of these young people cannot find work in the country. If they can be sent abroad, they can work and support their families back home by remitting money. In the process, this would also help increase remittance and strengthen the foreign exchange reserve of the country.

Many experts have pointed out that migration costs should not be more than Tk 100,000. Such an amount can be recovered by a migrant worker within a year of their trip abroad. This is also the amount that migrant workers of neighbouring countries are paying to go to host countries, at the moment.

If the government can lower the migration cost, it will be a big boost for migrant workers in the country. It will also motivate young people in Bangladesh.

Many countries in the world are facing a labour crisis. Countries like Canada, Germany, Italy Japan, Korea, Taiwan and even China are facing a shortage of skilled workers as their rate of births is gradually declining. Bangladesh can look at the scopes for migration to these countries. Also, proper training can be provided to migrant workers before they are sent abroad so that they can get the best salaries for their skills.

The government should find new and suitable countries for Bangladeshi migrants and ensure skilled jobs for them there.

Tareq Hossain,

Dhanmondi, Dhaka