The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will start recruiting Bangladeshi workers in its domestic help sector within three months, said the expatriates' welfare minister on Monday.
"We will select competent manpower recruiters to send our workers to the gulf country," Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc said while speaking at a press conference on an agreement signed between Dhaka and Abu Dhabi recently. The press conference was organised at Prabashi Kalyan Bhaban in the city.
Bangladesh and the UAE have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abu Dhabi. As per the MoU, the oil-rich gulf country will recruit 19 categories of workers in its domestic help sector.
The proposed 19 categories of domestic workers are housemaids, private sailors, watchmen and security guards, shepherds, family drivers, falconers, housekeepers, cooks, nannies, domestic labourers, farmers, gardeners, private coaches, babysitters, private nurses, private assistants, farm supervisors and parking workers.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister also said a joint working committee will be formed very soon to fix the process of sending workers, migration cost and other related issues.
"Before any announcement from the government, workers should not make any deal with manpower recruiters," he advised the aspirants.
Since 2012, the UAE has stopped hiring manpower from Bangladesh. The government has been negotiating with the authority of Arab country to reopen the market since then.
EWOEM secretary Nomita Halder who had signed the MoU on behalf of the Bangladesh government informed the journalists that some Bangladeshi workers were involved with the criminal activities in the UAE.
The process of reopening the UAE market was being delayed due to their illegal activities, she said.
More than 2.3 million Bangladeshis went to the oil-rich country with jobs between 1976 and March 2018, according to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET).
BMET director general Salim Reza and high officials concerned were also present at the press conference.
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