The country is likely to earn more than US$20 billion remittance in the current year thanks to cash incentive benefits provided by the government to migrant workers, according to the expatriates' welfare ministry.
The number of overseas jobs will also increase this year, it projected.
Salim Reza, secretary to the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment (EWOE) ministry, on Sunday said inward remittance stood at more than US$18 billion in 2019 which was 16.2 per cent higher than that of 2018.
"So, we hope remittance earnings will cross $20 billion this calendar year," he said while speaking at a meet the press, organised by Reporters for Bangladeshi Migrants (RBM) at Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in the city.
He said Bangladesh sent 701,000 workers abroad with jobs in 2019. Of them, 111,000 were women workers. Among the workers, 44 per cent was skilled and 22 per cent semi-skilled.
The government has plans to send workers to new destinations this year. They have already started sending workers to some new countries including Seychelles, Herzegovina and China.
"We are also working to reopen job markets in Malaysia and United Arab Emirates (UAE)," he added.
Addressing the press briefing, Imran Ahmad, minister for EWOE, said they would be able to send more than 750,000 workers this year.
"We are getting demand for workers from East European countries. So, we hope we will be able to send manpower to at least 6-7 new job destination countries in the current year."
Mr Ahmad also warned that they would not tolerate any irregularities in the overseas employment sector.
Due to malpractices by middlemen, he said, some countries like Malaysia and the UAE closed their doors for Bangladeshi workers.
They are working to curb middlemen's unethical activities, the minister mentioned.
Shamsul Alam, director general at Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training, among others, was also present at the programme.
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