Manpower export, the pivotal sector, comes under a very serious threat
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Enayet Rasul
Manpower export has been the pivotal sector for the Bangladeshi economy. The economy has been kept afloat notwithstanding the worsening circumstances in large measure by the steadily improving performance in the manpower sector. The number of our overseas workers has gone on increasing and also the earnings from them with the result that the foreign currency reserve of the country currently remains at its highest recorded level.
The relatively better forex reserve situation has been a tower of strength for the macro economy providing it with stability and protection against different shocks such as meeting the heavier consumption needs of the economy when the prices of the imported products are escalating. Physical disasters, under production and politically induced problems, created huge shortfalls in the production of essential goods including that of the all too important food grains. But Providence must be thanked that the country has a good foreign currency reserve which has been the crucial factor in meeting essential supplies and averting famine. But the same would not be possible without the impressive growth of manpower export to pay for the higher imports. Indeed, this sector is almost single handedly saving the economy from great stresses and strains. Therefore, it also deserves to be protected by the utmost efficient and imaginative policies of the government.
But there are enough reasons to worry about the operation of such neat official policies. News received from KSA last week are very concern raising to say the least. Traditionally, Saudi Arabia has been the single biggest host country for our manpower. The lion's share of earnings in the manpower sector comes from Saudi Arabia. But the authorities in that country have become suddenly and inexplicably very hostile about not only admitting new Bangladeshi workers but also against those who have been working for a long time in that country.
The Saudi press reported that the Majlis-e-Sura, the highest governing body in the KSA, annulled the quota system that facilitated the regular large scale entry of Bangladeshi workers into Saudi Arabia. The quota system meant the guaranteed entry of 21 per cent of all workers entering that country to be of Bangladeshi origin. Its abolition means that no such guarantee of the entry of the specified number of Bangladeshi workers would be there. Workers from other countries can be freely admitted in place of Bangladeshi ones. Besides, the reports informed, quoting the Saudi Labour Minister, that the appointment of Bangladeshi workers in some categories such as for agriculture, domestic aids and in other sectors requiring unskilled workers, stand forbidden. Only a limited number of Bangladeshi doctors and engineers would remain outside the restrictions. But Bangladeshi workers in the unskilled and semi-skilled categories have so far benefited in the greatest number from finding jobs in the KSA. Therefore, the sudden imposition of restriction on their going to that country will mean a great loss for the sustainable sending of Bangladeshi manpower in that country in large number.
What the implication of these curbs on Bangladeshi manpower export to KSA can mean, can be understood only from the news that in the next three years that country would be employing some 1.5 million workers of mostly the unskilled variety for only one of its construction projects. The total demand for workers from other such projects, is likely to be a huge one. If the 21 per cent guaranteed import of workers from Bangladesh remained, then that could be a big assurance for the continuing good performance of our manpower export sector. But the annulment of the quota system in the recruitment of workers , will mean substantial denial of these opportunities for Bangladesh.
The real reasons for the sudden disillusionment of the Saudi authorities about our workers, are not absolutely known. But it cannot be that our workers have all on a sudden become too depraved to lose the esteem of the Saudi authorities. They have been discharging their services in KSA for many years and, on the whole, earned much praises from their employers for dedicated work and integrity. Thus, it cannot be rational to conclude that many of them have become so degenerate in recent times that the Saudi authorities were forced to change their mind about them.
It appears from several investigative reports that the anti-Bangladesh policies were cleverly engineered by some rival countries of Bangladesh in manpower export. They have sensed the boom time for migrant workers in the Middle East and Gulf region to come from the jump in various construction activities in the region. From this anticipation, they have been plotting and influencing the Saudi authorities with all kinds of unsubstantiated stories about the Bangladeshi workers. Graft could also be involved in so creating the mind-sets of the authorities against our workers.
It is tragic that the Bangladesh government could not counteract these conspiracies. The changing mood against our workers in KSA and other Middle Eastern countries has been in the making for some months. A notable number of Bangladeshi workers were also deported from these countries, particularly from the KSA. Bangladeshi government should have sat up and taken early notice of this dangerous trend. It should have fully and most devotedly used its diplomatic machinery to preclude the conspiracy against its manpower trade in the region from acquiring a full bloom. But so far the response of the government has been a rather low key one hardly befitting the grave peril which is engulfing the country's economic lifeline, manpower export. Even now, a belated but still an all out diplomatic move should be launched from the highest level of the government to save our threatened manpower market at KSA and other Middle Eastern countries. Such a move ought to be among the highest and most immediate priorities of the government.
Manpower export has been the pivotal sector for the Bangladeshi economy. The economy has been kept afloat notwithstanding the worsening circumstances in large measure by the steadily improving performance in the manpower sector. The number of our overseas workers has gone on increasing and also the earnings from them with the result that the foreign currency reserve of the country currently remains at its highest recorded level.
The relatively better forex reserve situation has been a tower of strength for the macro economy providing it with stability and protection against different shocks such as meeting the heavier consumption needs of the economy when the prices of the imported products are escalating. Physical disasters, under production and politically induced problems, created huge shortfalls in the production of essential goods including that of the all too important food grains. But Providence must be thanked that the country has a good foreign currency reserve which has been the crucial factor in meeting essential supplies and averting famine. But the same would not be possible without the impressive growth of manpower export to pay for the higher imports. Indeed, this sector is almost single handedly saving the economy from great stresses and strains. Therefore, it also deserves to be protected by the utmost efficient and imaginative policies of the government.
But there are enough reasons to worry about the operation of such neat official policies. News received from KSA last week are very concern raising to say the least. Traditionally, Saudi Arabia has been the single biggest host country for our manpower. The lion's share of earnings in the manpower sector comes from Saudi Arabia. But the authorities in that country have become suddenly and inexplicably very hostile about not only admitting new Bangladeshi workers but also against those who have been working for a long time in that country.
The Saudi press reported that the Majlis-e-Sura, the highest governing body in the KSA, annulled the quota system that facilitated the regular large scale entry of Bangladeshi workers into Saudi Arabia. The quota system meant the guaranteed entry of 21 per cent of all workers entering that country to be of Bangladeshi origin. Its abolition means that no such guarantee of the entry of the specified number of Bangladeshi workers would be there. Workers from other countries can be freely admitted in place of Bangladeshi ones. Besides, the reports informed, quoting the Saudi Labour Minister, that the appointment of Bangladeshi workers in some categories such as for agriculture, domestic aids and in other sectors requiring unskilled workers, stand forbidden. Only a limited number of Bangladeshi doctors and engineers would remain outside the restrictions. But Bangladeshi workers in the unskilled and semi-skilled categories have so far benefited in the greatest number from finding jobs in the KSA. Therefore, the sudden imposition of restriction on their going to that country will mean a great loss for the sustainable sending of Bangladeshi manpower in that country in large number.
What the implication of these curbs on Bangladeshi manpower export to KSA can mean, can be understood only from the news that in the next three years that country would be employing some 1.5 million workers of mostly the unskilled variety for only one of its construction projects. The total demand for workers from other such projects, is likely to be a huge one. If the 21 per cent guaranteed import of workers from Bangladesh remained, then that could be a big assurance for the continuing good performance of our manpower export sector. But the annulment of the quota system in the recruitment of workers , will mean substantial denial of these opportunities for Bangladesh.
The real reasons for the sudden disillusionment of the Saudi authorities about our workers, are not absolutely known. But it cannot be that our workers have all on a sudden become too depraved to lose the esteem of the Saudi authorities. They have been discharging their services in KSA for many years and, on the whole, earned much praises from their employers for dedicated work and integrity. Thus, it cannot be rational to conclude that many of them have become so degenerate in recent times that the Saudi authorities were forced to change their mind about them.
It appears from several investigative reports that the anti-Bangladesh policies were cleverly engineered by some rival countries of Bangladesh in manpower export. They have sensed the boom time for migrant workers in the Middle East and Gulf region to come from the jump in various construction activities in the region. From this anticipation, they have been plotting and influencing the Saudi authorities with all kinds of unsubstantiated stories about the Bangladeshi workers. Graft could also be involved in so creating the mind-sets of the authorities against our workers.
It is tragic that the Bangladesh government could not counteract these conspiracies. The changing mood against our workers in KSA and other Middle Eastern countries has been in the making for some months. A notable number of Bangladeshi workers were also deported from these countries, particularly from the KSA. Bangladeshi government should have sat up and taken early notice of this dangerous trend. It should have fully and most devotedly used its diplomatic machinery to preclude the conspiracy against its manpower trade in the region from acquiring a full bloom. But so far the response of the government has been a rather low key one hardly befitting the grave peril which is engulfing the country's economic lifeline, manpower export. Even now, a belated but still an all out diplomatic move should be launched from the highest level of the government to save our threatened manpower market at KSA and other Middle Eastern countries. Such a move ought to be among the highest and most immediate priorities of the government.