A new policy needed for more remittances
Monday, 5 November 2007
UNLIKE the RMG and other sectors needing more capital injection to increase the earnings, manpower export can earn more for Bangladesh at much less cost and only by changing the policy and properly implementing it at relatively modest costs.
The full potential of the manpower export sector remains untapped. The country can earning five or six times more, than it now does, from remittances of Bangladeshis working abroad. As it is, the sector is dominated private manpower exporters and there are serious allegations against many of them of fraud. Those who get jobs abroad have to pay these private manpower agents much more than they are required to. The sadder part is on reaching the destination these workers find themselves cheated, underpaid or the terms and agreements of their contracts are not receiving from their foreign employers -- either no payments at all, or what the contracts signed offered them.
Both the number of people, going out on jobs, and also the remittances sent by them, could increase, if only more skilled or qualified people were sent. In each of the areas, government has a role to play. Private exporters are after quick money. They have no concern for individual happiness, fairness or the national economy. It is for the government to look after these aspects.
The government should adopt a policy, based on careful market survey abroad on the demand situation of the types of workers and the needed skills. Accordingly training centres need to be set up to regularly produce skilled workforce to meet demand. For the government the investments, whatever the sum, would be worth making considering the potential returns from a greater number of non-resident Bangladeshis would send home from their earnings.
Such a policy would achieve two objectives, as more people would find it easier to get jobs abroad and, being in the skilled category, they would be able to send more remittances because of the increased earning potential. At present the large number of unskilled workers abroad are understandably in the low earning category.
The government can also facilitate the sending out of more people by creating a provision to facilitating their getting loans from the banks on easy terms and conditions to pay for the fees of manpower firms, air fares, etc. They can be enabled to pay back the loans from their earnings abroad. The relevant departments of the government should liaise with the private manpower agencies to ensure the genuineness of the contracts so that those who go out with the assistance of such banks do not fall prey to frauds and can service their loans without difficulty.
Abdus Sattar
Azimpur Staff Quarter
Dhaka
The full potential of the manpower export sector remains untapped. The country can earning five or six times more, than it now does, from remittances of Bangladeshis working abroad. As it is, the sector is dominated private manpower exporters and there are serious allegations against many of them of fraud. Those who get jobs abroad have to pay these private manpower agents much more than they are required to. The sadder part is on reaching the destination these workers find themselves cheated, underpaid or the terms and agreements of their contracts are not receiving from their foreign employers -- either no payments at all, or what the contracts signed offered them.
Both the number of people, going out on jobs, and also the remittances sent by them, could increase, if only more skilled or qualified people were sent. In each of the areas, government has a role to play. Private exporters are after quick money. They have no concern for individual happiness, fairness or the national economy. It is for the government to look after these aspects.
The government should adopt a policy, based on careful market survey abroad on the demand situation of the types of workers and the needed skills. Accordingly training centres need to be set up to regularly produce skilled workforce to meet demand. For the government the investments, whatever the sum, would be worth making considering the potential returns from a greater number of non-resident Bangladeshis would send home from their earnings.
Such a policy would achieve two objectives, as more people would find it easier to get jobs abroad and, being in the skilled category, they would be able to send more remittances because of the increased earning potential. At present the large number of unskilled workers abroad are understandably in the low earning category.
The government can also facilitate the sending out of more people by creating a provision to facilitating their getting loans from the banks on easy terms and conditions to pay for the fees of manpower firms, air fares, etc. They can be enabled to pay back the loans from their earnings abroad. The relevant departments of the government should liaise with the private manpower agencies to ensure the genuineness of the contracts so that those who go out with the assistance of such banks do not fall prey to frauds and can service their loans without difficulty.
Abdus Sattar
Azimpur Staff Quarter
Dhaka