State agencies plan to take lead in sending workers abroad
Thursday, 6 May 2010
A Z M Anas
The government is pressing ahead with its plan to send workers abroad by state agencies in a move to rein in the overwhelming dominance of private recruiters, blamed for pushing up the cost of overseas migration, officials said Sunday.
Officials at the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry said two agencies - Bureau of Manpower and Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Ltd - would be provided with "necessary tools" to compete with their private counterparts in the overseas recruitment industry.
"We reached a consensus that government agencies have a pivotal role to play in overseas migration," director general of Bureau of Manpower Khorshed Alam Chowdhury said.
Mr Chowdhury said the process would start only after the government received reports from Bangladeshi missions abroad on the current state and potential of labour recruitment in major destination countries.
Officials said the involvement of two state agencies would help reduce the cost of overseas migration substantially and wane the influence of private recruiting agencies.
However, migration experts are unconvinced, saying unless the government recruits skilled and qualified manpower, two state agencies would not be able to make "much difference" to the country's overseas migration scenario.
Although two government-run agencies are mandated to send workers abroad, the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) has withdrawn itself from the arena after the creation of BOESL in 1980s.
An official at the Overseas Employment Ministry said the renewed step, if successful, would shield the migrant workers from fraud by 50,000 - 60,000 sub-agents across the country.
Studies found that the sub-agents receive from Tk 10,000 to Tk 60,000 as commission from the agencies on a case-by-case basis, which is inclusive of all types of services that they provide to clients.
Although nearly 800 private agencies obtained license from the government to facilitate placements of Bangladeshi job-seekers abroad, few of them are involved in direct recruitment, relying on sub-agents instead.
The Army taskforce, formed during the last caretaker government, recommended introducing registration system of sub-agents or 'dalals' in a bid to plug the black hole in the overseas recruitment industry, estimated at US$2.0 billion a year. The renewed move elicited sharp reaction from private recruiters who saw the government's role as "contradictory."
"Once you took earnest money from 700 - 800 recruiting agencies. But now, you want to limit our role. It's contradictory," owner of a top recruiting agency said.
The government is pressing ahead with its plan to send workers abroad by state agencies in a move to rein in the overwhelming dominance of private recruiters, blamed for pushing up the cost of overseas migration, officials said Sunday.
Officials at the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry said two agencies - Bureau of Manpower and Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Ltd - would be provided with "necessary tools" to compete with their private counterparts in the overseas recruitment industry.
"We reached a consensus that government agencies have a pivotal role to play in overseas migration," director general of Bureau of Manpower Khorshed Alam Chowdhury said.
Mr Chowdhury said the process would start only after the government received reports from Bangladeshi missions abroad on the current state and potential of labour recruitment in major destination countries.
Officials said the involvement of two state agencies would help reduce the cost of overseas migration substantially and wane the influence of private recruiting agencies.
However, migration experts are unconvinced, saying unless the government recruits skilled and qualified manpower, two state agencies would not be able to make "much difference" to the country's overseas migration scenario.
Although two government-run agencies are mandated to send workers abroad, the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) has withdrawn itself from the arena after the creation of BOESL in 1980s.
An official at the Overseas Employment Ministry said the renewed step, if successful, would shield the migrant workers from fraud by 50,000 - 60,000 sub-agents across the country.
Studies found that the sub-agents receive from Tk 10,000 to Tk 60,000 as commission from the agencies on a case-by-case basis, which is inclusive of all types of services that they provide to clients.
Although nearly 800 private agencies obtained license from the government to facilitate placements of Bangladeshi job-seekers abroad, few of them are involved in direct recruitment, relying on sub-agents instead.
The Army taskforce, formed during the last caretaker government, recommended introducing registration system of sub-agents or 'dalals' in a bid to plug the black hole in the overseas recruitment industry, estimated at US$2.0 billion a year. The renewed move elicited sharp reaction from private recruiters who saw the government's role as "contradictory."
"Once you took earnest money from 700 - 800 recruiting agencies. But now, you want to limit our role. It's contradictory," owner of a top recruiting agency said.