Low wages dampen workers\\\' interest for overseas jobs

The government's drive to register for overseas employment has delivered poor results as safety fear and lower wages dampened interests among job-seekers, officials said.
This year the number of potential workers, who enlisted with the government database, was only 2,825, compared with 40,000 in 2013. The last day for enrollment was Saturday.
Of the total figure, the highest-or 1,111-aspirants came from Dhaka, followed by Rajshahi (451). Registration from Chittagong totalled 234, 398 from Rangpur, 122 from Sylhet , 367 from Khulna and 1422 from Barisal. The programme was launched on March 5.
Officials blamed the lower salary structure for Saudi-bound female workers and media reports on security in the kingdom, which they say might have discouraged the candidates.
However, Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) Begum Shamsun Nahar told the FE that she has no idea about why the job seekers were not interested to the registration programme. "I don't know the reason over such poor response from job seekers sides."   
She also said to meet employers' demand, the manpower bureau will continue enrollment round the year. Women job seekers will be able to enlist any time under government database.
Following a deal with Saudi Arabia to send domestic helps and also a good demand for the same in Hong Kong, the government took the step to enlist women overseas job seekers, officials said.
They said that the demand for domestic helps is very high in Saudi Arabia so the government needs a well-equipped database with women aspirants.
Tasnim Siddiqi, founding chair of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) said female workers were not well- informed about the registration programme due to poor publicity.
She said potential workers lost interest to go Saudi Arabia following media reports on working environment in the Arab nation, which is home to more than 2.0 million overseas Bangladeshis.
She noted that the government should have given assurance of proper security while also taken campaigning programme over positive sides of working condition in the kingdom.
According to agreement with Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia will take workers in its housekeeping sector on 12- category. Of them at first it will hire housemaid at a wages of 800 Saudi Riyal (approximately Tk 16,000).
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