Govt okays manpower export to Congo
Saturday, 12 June 2010
Mashiur Rahaman
The government has approved export of manpower to Democratic Republic of Congo in a desperate attempt to search for alternative job market.
Following a high-level official visit to the African country last month, the government has permitted a recruiting agency to recruit 3450 Bangladeshi workers to work for a company in Congo.
"We have issued clearance to Gulf Associates, a company, to recruit workers as security guards, drivers and formal labours for a Congolese company," Salim Reza a director of state-run Bureau of Manpower and Employment Training (BMET) told the FE.
Mr Reza along with a deputy secretary of the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry made a visit to Congo to get an idea on job market there.
Congo is a country with huge mineral resources. Its rapidly expending mining industry can be a big source of overseas employment, Mr Reza added.
Proprietor of Gulf Associates AR Sawket Ali said work environment for foreign workers is favorable in Congo as hundreds of thousands expatriates from India, Pakistan, China and Vietnam are already working there.
"Congo offers big opportunity for our already starving manpower industry," Mr Ali said whose company initiated the first recruitment process for that African country.
Overseas employment suffered badly over the past two years. Traditional employment markets like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore are almost closed for new recruitments, leaving the important sector dependent only on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Shamim Ahmed, former joint secretary general of recruiters association BAIRA, explained.
"We simply have no other option but to look for new job markets and Congo can partially fulfill the vacuum," he added.
Echoing Mr Noman, the owner of Gulf Associates said they would continue to search for new opportunity in the Congo RD as well as other African states where safety can be assured.
"We have almost completed the selection process for all our workers. First batch will leave soon," Mr Ali added.
In January-May of 2010, the country's overseas employment stood at 168,026 only, a 20 per cent fall over the corresponding period of last year. In 2009 (January-May), a total 2,12,332 Bangladeshis secured employment abroad.
The government has approved export of manpower to Democratic Republic of Congo in a desperate attempt to search for alternative job market.
Following a high-level official visit to the African country last month, the government has permitted a recruiting agency to recruit 3450 Bangladeshi workers to work for a company in Congo.
"We have issued clearance to Gulf Associates, a company, to recruit workers as security guards, drivers and formal labours for a Congolese company," Salim Reza a director of state-run Bureau of Manpower and Employment Training (BMET) told the FE.
Mr Reza along with a deputy secretary of the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry made a visit to Congo to get an idea on job market there.
Congo is a country with huge mineral resources. Its rapidly expending mining industry can be a big source of overseas employment, Mr Reza added.
Proprietor of Gulf Associates AR Sawket Ali said work environment for foreign workers is favorable in Congo as hundreds of thousands expatriates from India, Pakistan, China and Vietnam are already working there.
"Congo offers big opportunity for our already starving manpower industry," Mr Ali said whose company initiated the first recruitment process for that African country.
Overseas employment suffered badly over the past two years. Traditional employment markets like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore are almost closed for new recruitments, leaving the important sector dependent only on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Shamim Ahmed, former joint secretary general of recruiters association BAIRA, explained.
"We simply have no other option but to look for new job markets and Congo can partially fulfill the vacuum," he added.
Echoing Mr Noman, the owner of Gulf Associates said they would continue to search for new opportunity in the Congo RD as well as other African states where safety can be assured.
"We have almost completed the selection process for all our workers. First batch will leave soon," Mr Ali added.
In January-May of 2010, the country's overseas employment stood at 168,026 only, a 20 per cent fall over the corresponding period of last year. In 2009 (January-May), a total 2,12,332 Bangladeshis secured employment abroad.