Manpower exports markhealthy growth in 2011

Arafat AraThe country's overseas employments see a healthy growth throughout the year 2011 thanks to the increased demand of Bangladeshi manpower in the Middle Eastern countries, said officials. The overseas recruitments in 2011 record a 45 per cent growth compare to the last year when demand for Bangladeshi workers nosedived due to a spill-over effect of the 2008-9 global economic meltdown. Around 5,67,505 job seekers went abroad in 2011, up from 3,90,702 manpower last year, showed Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) data. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recruits highest number of manpower from the country. The position of Oman is second while Singapore ranks third for the recruitments this year. The BMET data stated that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recruited 278,705 people, Oman 133,604 and Singapore hired 48,244 people. Besides, Lebanon hired 18,969 people and Bahrain 13,747 Bangladeshis for meeting up their worker crisis. "It's a very good job figure. It's for the first time in around two years we've been able to send more than 500,000 workers abroad," BMET Acting Director General Hazrat Ali told the FE. Middle Eastern countries like UAE and Oman recruit a significant number of manpower from the country for their ever growing construction sector that helped boost up the country's overseas job sector, he said. Mr Ali said a "big opportunity" has been created for local workers in the Gulf nation of Oman due to an exodus of thousands of Filipino and Indian labourers following political turmoil in the petro-rich Arab country. "For increasing the overseas employments, the government is trying to improve bilateral relations with the recruiting countries, BMET Acting DG said. He also said the number of overseas employments will increase in the coming days. "If this trend of overseas job market expansion continues, we would be able to send more than 600,000 people next year", he said. But Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) Secretary General Ali Haider Chowdhury said it is not a satisfactory growth compare to the workforce who enters the job market each year. "Nearly 3.0 million people are entering the job market each year but a small portion is being employed," said BAIRA Secretary adding that minimum 1.0 million people should be employed in the foreign countries a year. He, however, said for achieving the goal of overseas employments, the authorities should explore new job markets. "Till now the sector is fully dependent on traditional job markets," said Mr Chowdhury apprehending that if the traditional markets like UAE and Oman stop their recruitment from the country, the sector will face a setback. According to the official figures, more than seven million Bangladeshis now work abroad, who remitted a record $11.65 billion in the fiscal year 2010-11. Migration from Bangladesh hit a record high in 2008 when 875,055 workers went abroad. But in 2009 it declined by nearly 50 per cent to 475,278 in the wake of worst global recession in over six decades.