Manpower exports fall 38pc in three months

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A Z M Anas
Manpower exports fell by 38 per cent in three months to March from a year earlier, the BMET said Wednesday, the evidence of a continued slide in overseas jobs.
Some 138,000 Bangladeshi workers found overseas jobs in January-March period of this year, down by 85465 from the year before, according to data released by Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
The figure for March was also depressing as the number of Bangladeshi migrant workers dropped by 25 per cent to 43946, down from 59183 a year earlier.
"The fast-softening Dubai economy remains a big worry," a senior BMET official said.
"But worst is yet to come. Still, the overall figures allow us to be optimistic. New markets are expected to help compensate the loss sustained in the traditional market," he added.
Officials also acknowledged that the flow of return migrants is also on the rise, threatening to slow down the boom in remittance flow witnessed in recent years.
The new figures portend bad omen for future and highlight the vulnerability of Bangladesh to rely mainly on the Middle-eastern nations and Malaysia for workers' employment, economists and migration experts say.
"I'm now less optimistic … I don't see any immediate prospects for a rebound in manpower exports," Zahid Hossain, a top economist at the World Bank, said.
"I think, the slowdown will continue as oil prices will hover at US$47 per barrel in 2009. If that happens, construction and hospitality sectors of the middle-east will not bounce back, impacting Bangladesh's labour migration," he said.
The World Bank economist noted that if oil prices remain the same throughout the year and major economies of the west, China and India does not pick up steam, those of the Gulf region will not revive.
The oil-rich region is also linked to Bangladesh's growth story, with around 63 per cent of the country's remittances coming from the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that constitutes Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.
Zahir Uddin, a professor of Anthropology at Jahangir Nagar University, shared the similar concern, saying manpower exports are set to take "a further dive" in the coming months.
"The situation seems to be grave. I'm fearful the drop in manpower exports will certainly slowdown the flow of annualised remittances," said Mr Zahir, who did extensive research on migration.
In parallel, BMET officials said, a total of 21966 Bangladeshi migrant workers returned home in January-March period, most of them from Dubai.
In March alone, they said, more than 3000 Bangladeshis returned from the Gulf tourism and business hub of Dubai, after losing jobs there.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said the trend of return migration is on the rise and the government must "act now."
"Even if it is a global problem, it requires local solution," said Rabab Fatima, regional head at IOM.
Searching for alternative job markets is a long-term process, Ms Fatima said, adding creating employment opportunities within the economy for returnee migrants would be the best option so far available.
"Giving the returnees a space in the local job market will certainly help absorb the immediate shock," the IOM official said.
Mr Zahir said migrants played a crucial role during national crisis by sending remittances and "now it is the obligation of the state to stand by the returnees at these uncertain times."
"It's not the responsibility of the government alone. The corporate sector should also come forward to help the country navigate the evolving crisis in labour migration," the IOM regional chief told the FE.
Last year, the country drew in US$8.9 billion in remittances, boosted by record 8.75 million overseas jobs.