Addressing newer challenges to manpower export

Decline in inward remittance in recent times has brought to light issues that call for immediate attention to devise ways for addressing them. Critical among the problems include emerging issues in manpower migration which, observers believe, can only be remedied by a thorough recasting of the existing policies and adopting effective mechanism. The key problem at the moment is decline in the pool of migrant workers, accompanied by increasing number of returnees, especially from the Middle Eastern countries.
As a result of the compound effect, remittance inflow declined about 5.0 per cent in the first ten months of the current fiscal year. Between July last and April this year, the country received $11.73 billion in workers' remittance compared to $12.31 billion during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. Concerned quarters have attributed this decline to government's failure in re-opening labour markets in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait. These key destinations of Bangladesh's workforce have kept their doors shut to Bangladesh because of the alleged involvement of some Bangladeshi workers in criminal activities. Besides, setbacks experienced in the government-to-government (G-to-G) arrangement to send workers to Malaysia have also caused the overall situation to turn worse. It is by now well known that despite the pious intent of relieving the workers of much of their plight at a reduced cost with welfare benefits in their workplaces through G-to-G system, the results so far have remained far short of what was desired. Because of the known constraints, all that the government should have done was to set the procedures in place and ask the private sector recruiters to follow.
This has not happened. The government monopoly, while restricting the operation of the private recruiters, has narrowed the scope for exploring avenues of manpower export. In this situation, desperate jobseekers are being increasingly deceived by unscrupulous elements. The number of the incidents of illegal trafficking has also increased. The newly elected president of the Bangladesh private recruiters association has reportedly suggested that the government in order to reenergise expatriate workers' migration may work out a strictly enforceable policy of migration including setting a reasonable cost of migration, in keeping with the practices in Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia and Myanmar.
In view of the less than expected success of the G-to-G arrangement, the government should recast its manpower export policy in a realistic and effective manner in consultation with the stakeholders. The role of diplomacy, often referred to as being vital to address the workers' migration issue, has barely been up to the mark. While diplomacy at the state level is important, overseas Bangladesh Missions should also be tasked to remain constantly focused to be able to monitor the situation and also suggest timely actions. Given the crucial contribution of inward remittance to the economy, the country can ill afford to see its prospects slide. The picture, as the indicators suggest, is beginning to look murky. Right steps may still hold things from falling apart.