Manpower export to S'pore suffers setback due to global financial woes
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Naim-Ul-Karim
Bangladesh's manpower export to Singapore has suffered a jolt from the global financial woes as the recession-hit country's once-booming construction and shipbuilding sectors have cut their activities.
Sources said thousands of Bangladeshis lost their jobs in the richest Southeast Asian country in the past few months as the country's realtors and shipbuilders were forced to reduce their activities.
In such a situation, officials concerned said the government of Bangladesh last week ordered to tighten manpower export to Singapore introducing a new system, which comes into effect today (Saturday).
The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment in the order last week instructed the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) not to issue any clearance to the job seekers unless they manage any attestation from the Bangladesh mission in Singapore that there are jobs available for them.
The sector insiders fear that the government's order also will lead to a reduction in the country's manpower export to Singapore, which emerged the fourth largest destination of Bangladesh's manpower export, hosting over 50,000 Bangladeshi workers only this year.
"Jobs for Bangladeshis in Singapore will be affected due to the government's decision," a source with a recruiting agency said, requesting not to be named.
But the secretary of the Overseas Employment Ministry, Abdul Matin Chowdhury, said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure as the global financial woes were taking their toll on the Southeast Asian country's economy leading to a slowdown in its shipbuilding and construction sectors.
Bangladesh's manpower export to Singapore has suffered a jolt from the global financial woes as the recession-hit country's once-booming construction and shipbuilding sectors have cut their activities.
Sources said thousands of Bangladeshis lost their jobs in the richest Southeast Asian country in the past few months as the country's realtors and shipbuilders were forced to reduce their activities.
In such a situation, officials concerned said the government of Bangladesh last week ordered to tighten manpower export to Singapore introducing a new system, which comes into effect today (Saturday).
The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment in the order last week instructed the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) not to issue any clearance to the job seekers unless they manage any attestation from the Bangladesh mission in Singapore that there are jobs available for them.
The sector insiders fear that the government's order also will lead to a reduction in the country's manpower export to Singapore, which emerged the fourth largest destination of Bangladesh's manpower export, hosting over 50,000 Bangladeshi workers only this year.
"Jobs for Bangladeshis in Singapore will be affected due to the government's decision," a source with a recruiting agency said, requesting not to be named.
But the secretary of the Overseas Employment Ministry, Abdul Matin Chowdhury, said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure as the global financial woes were taking their toll on the Southeast Asian country's economy leading to a slowdown in its shipbuilding and construction sectors.