Enhanced technical and vocational skills can brighten prospects of overseas jobs
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Mainul Khawaza
Export of manpower that increased by 55% in the last decade, largely in the unskilled category, could actually have tripled especially in better-paid jobs if the workforce had the required technical skills.
According to the Bangladesh Economic Review-2010, despite higher demand for skilled labour in many countries the number of professionals going abroad with jobs actually declined to a meagre 1,426 out of 0.47 million overseas employments in 2009 compared to 10,669 professionals out of 0.22 million migrant workers in 2000.
The year 2009 saw a decline in the outflow of Bangladeshi workers by 0.4 million compared to the previous year's manpower exports. Only 74,600 semi-skilled workers found overseas jobs as against 0.255 million unskilled migrant workers in the year 2009 with 0.134 million Bangladeshis securing certain skill-based jobs. However, national and global reports have forecast bright prospects for Bangladeshi workers in new employment markets in the near future, provided the country provides training on a variety of services and technical skills to its aspiring overseas jobseekers.
The word 'provided' is the key factor in the equation and the main hurdle in the way of better-paid employment for the burgeoning labour force both at home and abroad. The future growth of remittances from expatriate workers is dependent on improved skills development in Bangladesh 'by introducing a new system', notes the draft National Skills Development Policy, prepared by the TVET Reform Project of the government of Bangladesh with technical assistance by the International Labour Organisation and funding from the European Union.
The policy calls for developing a national qualification system to make skills certification of an international standard and communicate it to overseas employers and international recruitment agents for more, rapid and smooth employability of Bangladeshi workers.
Experts and policymakers feel that Bangladesh must increase manpower exports, particularly more skilled workers, to capture high-paid jobs and sustainably raise the $10 billion remittances earning a year in the years to come.
"Many workers failed to obtain high quality jobs and swelled the ranks of the unemployed," Professor MA Taslim, Chief Executive Officer of the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute, said referring to loss of overseas labour market in recent times. The economist, in a paper on 'Recession and Economic Performance", urged the government to find ways of reopening the overseas job market and focus on improving skills workers through quality education.
In this context, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in conjunction with the Directorate of Technical Education, Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB) and the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training has undertaken a reform project on technical and vocational education and training reform to meet the employers' demand for enhanced skills and modern work practice to help the workers to be employed at home and abroad. Four industrial skills committees for four different sectors have also been formed to regularly assess skills and needs of industries and suggest new or improved technical education and training programs in response.
The move fits in well with the government's target of sending 0.577 million workers abroad this year reversing the declining trends of manpower exports.
The draft skills development policy emphasises making available to jobseekers the career and vocational guidance that provides details on key overseas labour markets and occupations in demand.
In view of the need to export more skilled manpower, the government has created an "Immigration and Skills Development Fund" and also allocated Tk. 0.7 billion for making it operational.
The fund is aimed at developing skills of workers willing to go abroad, updating skills of expatriate workers who have returned from abroad and also the labour force working within the country as well as to explore new labour markets, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said in his budget speech in parliament on June 10.
"Demographic differences across regions will increase global pressures for labour and job mobility," noted a recent report titled 'Shaping the Future' prepared by the World Bank and the European Commission, adding that the training for the global labour market of 2030 and beyond should start now.
Making long-term forecast that the declining labour force in some regions could hit a low of 215 million by 2050, the report pointed out that the demand for skills globally would be characterised by higher qualification requirements at all occupational levels.
E-mail: inspirations2006@gmail.com
Export of manpower that increased by 55% in the last decade, largely in the unskilled category, could actually have tripled especially in better-paid jobs if the workforce had the required technical skills.
According to the Bangladesh Economic Review-2010, despite higher demand for skilled labour in many countries the number of professionals going abroad with jobs actually declined to a meagre 1,426 out of 0.47 million overseas employments in 2009 compared to 10,669 professionals out of 0.22 million migrant workers in 2000.
The year 2009 saw a decline in the outflow of Bangladeshi workers by 0.4 million compared to the previous year's manpower exports. Only 74,600 semi-skilled workers found overseas jobs as against 0.255 million unskilled migrant workers in the year 2009 with 0.134 million Bangladeshis securing certain skill-based jobs. However, national and global reports have forecast bright prospects for Bangladeshi workers in new employment markets in the near future, provided the country provides training on a variety of services and technical skills to its aspiring overseas jobseekers.
The word 'provided' is the key factor in the equation and the main hurdle in the way of better-paid employment for the burgeoning labour force both at home and abroad. The future growth of remittances from expatriate workers is dependent on improved skills development in Bangladesh 'by introducing a new system', notes the draft National Skills Development Policy, prepared by the TVET Reform Project of the government of Bangladesh with technical assistance by the International Labour Organisation and funding from the European Union.
The policy calls for developing a national qualification system to make skills certification of an international standard and communicate it to overseas employers and international recruitment agents for more, rapid and smooth employability of Bangladeshi workers.
Experts and policymakers feel that Bangladesh must increase manpower exports, particularly more skilled workers, to capture high-paid jobs and sustainably raise the $10 billion remittances earning a year in the years to come.
"Many workers failed to obtain high quality jobs and swelled the ranks of the unemployed," Professor MA Taslim, Chief Executive Officer of the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute, said referring to loss of overseas labour market in recent times. The economist, in a paper on 'Recession and Economic Performance", urged the government to find ways of reopening the overseas job market and focus on improving skills workers through quality education.
In this context, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in conjunction with the Directorate of Technical Education, Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB) and the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training has undertaken a reform project on technical and vocational education and training reform to meet the employers' demand for enhanced skills and modern work practice to help the workers to be employed at home and abroad. Four industrial skills committees for four different sectors have also been formed to regularly assess skills and needs of industries and suggest new or improved technical education and training programs in response.
The move fits in well with the government's target of sending 0.577 million workers abroad this year reversing the declining trends of manpower exports.
The draft skills development policy emphasises making available to jobseekers the career and vocational guidance that provides details on key overseas labour markets and occupations in demand.
In view of the need to export more skilled manpower, the government has created an "Immigration and Skills Development Fund" and also allocated Tk. 0.7 billion for making it operational.
The fund is aimed at developing skills of workers willing to go abroad, updating skills of expatriate workers who have returned from abroad and also the labour force working within the country as well as to explore new labour markets, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said in his budget speech in parliament on June 10.
"Demographic differences across regions will increase global pressures for labour and job mobility," noted a recent report titled 'Shaping the Future' prepared by the World Bank and the European Commission, adding that the training for the global labour market of 2030 and beyond should start now.
Making long-term forecast that the declining labour force in some regions could hit a low of 215 million by 2050, the report pointed out that the demand for skills globally would be characterised by higher qualification requirements at all occupational levels.
E-mail: inspirations2006@gmail.com