The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is posing immediate risks to the mobility and employment continuity of Bangladeshi migrant workers, officials and experts warned at a seminar in the city on Tuesday.
They stressed that while migrant workers remain a cornerstone of Bangladesh's economy, persistent governance weaknesses continue to expose them to heightened risks during geopolitical crises.
The Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) of the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) at North South University (NSU) organised the seminar, titled "Caught Between War and Work: The Rights and Sufferings of Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in the Gulf amid the US-Israel-Iran Conflict" at the university's Syndicate Hall.
Md Nurul Haque, State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, attended the event as chief guest. CMS Director Prof Sk Tawfique M Haque moderated the session, which was chaired by Prof Nasar U Ahmed, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of NSU.
Since hostilities erupted on February 28, flight cancellations and airspace closures have disrupted travel to and from several Middle Eastern destinations.
At least seven Bangladeshi nationals have been reported killed in the wider conflict, while 186 Bangladeshis have returned from Iran.
Selim Reza, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and Sociology (PSS) at NSU and Coordinator of CMS, said most Bangladeshi migrants in the Gulf remain concentrated in low-skilled, contract-based jobs in sectors where labour oversight is weak.
Shariful Islam Hasan, Head of BRAC's Migration Programme, warned that escalating conflicts and instability are likely to increase irregular migration, particularly through dangerous routes such as the Mediterranean, where thousands risk their lives each year.
Associate Professor Mohammad Jalal Uddin Sikder of PSS, NSU, framed the issue from a geopolitical perspective, arguing that crises expose power asymmetries in migration governance.
Karina Levina, Technical Officer on Social Protection and Migration at the ILO, emphasised that labour migration should not be treated as a luxury but integrated into national labour and development policy.
She called for deeper regional cooperation through platforms such as the Abu Dhabi Dialogue to advance shared protection standards.
Giuseppe Loprete, Chief of Mission of IOM in Bangladesh, urged that migrant workers be placed at the centre of crisis-response frameworks, noting that conventional migration policies often fall short during conflict-driven disruptions.
Muhammed Bashir, Director (West Asia Wing) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointed to limited destination options and skills deficits as constraints on Bangladesh's negotiating position, and stressed the need for minimum eligibility standards.
The chief guest highlighted structural challenges in Bangladesh's labour migration system, including skills gaps, recruitment irregularities and market concentration in traditional destinations.
He reiterated the government's focus on scaling up skills development through Technical Training Centres, and strengthening destination-specific language and cultural orientation, particularly for emerging markets such as Japan and Korea.
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