Diversifying manpower export

Reports on continued decline in inflow of remittances are disheartening. A FE report on July 09 presented a dismal picture. It said the country's remittance earnings from abroad have been falling since 2012.  
Against this grim background, another report on job opportunities in Malaysia has come as a timely relief. According to the report, Malaysia has shown interest in recruiting Bangladeshi workers in areas such as construction, manufacturing and service sectors, apart from its traditional plantation sector. The recruitment is expected to begin after an agreement is reached on government-to-government (G-to-G) basis.
The private recruiting agencies will be kept out of the process due apparently to their previous role in messing up recruitment process of workers for Malaysia. Lots of irregularities, resorted to by them, had led to loss of the lucrative job market for the Bangladeshis in the rich Southeast Asian country in 2009.
After three long years Bangladesh got back job opportunities for its workers in Malaysia in November, 2012 following signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries. As the private recruitment agencies were kept out of the recruitment process, they do not had any role in sending Bangladeshi workers since then. They are now reportedly urging the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment to go ahead with the Malaysian initiative. The private recruiters are seemingly very much eager to be a part of the manpower export to Malaysia once again.
That the government all by itself, be it the ministry concerned or any other agency, cannot carry out this gigantic task is understandable. Like in other countries, the government needs private manpower recruiters. They will be included in the recruitment process with the expansion of the new, diversified manpower market, expatriates welfare minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain reportedly said.
The present manpower export to Malaysia has been passing through procedural hiccups since its resumption under the G-to-G arrangement. Visa-related complications and other irritants, mainly engineered by manpower syndicates in both the countries, and bureaucratic procrastination have been dogging the process since the beginning.
There are reasons to feel wary. The country's economic updates point to developments that do not make one feel optimistic. This, however, is not unexpected, given the chaotic times that we passed through last year.
Turbulent times have also gripped the apparel sector, traditionally the country's largest foreign exchange earner. Contribution of remittances to the growth of the national economy is still vital. We have to be cautious about the socio-economic fallout of a large-scale return of our overseas workers. Those at the helm of the affairs should find out a prudent way out.
Enjoying good days for over one decade, the remittance inflow into the country suffered a major jolt in 2012. With the closure of many remittance-earning destinations in quick succession from that year onwards, Bangladesh seems to be on the verge of a virtual crisis. It has turned out to be a grim reality. As the Arab Spring-triggered turbulence drags on, migrant workers in droves have started leaving the strife-torn Libya, Egypt and Iraq. Besides, thousands of unskilled workers returned from a number of Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia and some Gulf nations.
With the remittance scenario still in the doldrums, the return of the workers is adding to our economic woes in a brazen manner.
No overseas job destination, or a source of remittance, remains for ever. Every country today is passing through tough times, politically and economically. It is time that the government adopted a well-thought-out strategy for meeting the situation.
Besides seizing vast opportunities in the Malaysian market, the government should tap newer manpower export destinations. We can ill afford to waste time.
 shihabskr@ymail.com