Manpower export to the oil-rich Gulf countries in the Middle East virtually came to a halt due mainly to failings in diplomatic maneuverings with the recruiting nations, sector-insiders claimed.
The crisis seems all the more excruciating as there has been little official effort for exploring manpower market for the teeming millions in the country's rising labour force in other hemispheres of the world, particularly in the developed and newly industrialized countries, observers say.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained two main destinations for Bangladeshi job-seekers over the decades. But now the countries stopped issuing any visa to the Bangladeshis. As a result, manpower export to those countries fell drastically.
Local manpower export in 2013 to the two major destinations---KSA and UAE-fell to only 26,000 from 0.550 million in 2008. It accounts for over 93 percent fall in five years.
"For local manpower export the Gulf countries are the largest destinations, but those countries have halted recruitment of Bangladeshi workers," Ali Haider Chowdhury, Vice-President of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), told the FE.
He lamented that several times the government said they were taking some initiatives to reopen manpower market, but to no avail up till now.
He says: "If we want to continue growth of remittance earnings, the government has no alternative but to look for ways of reopening the market."
"When KSA and UAE have almost closed their doors, our hope was rounding with Oman. But that country also has imposed restriction on recruitment of foreign workers, since November 2013," he said.
"Bangladesh sent nearly 0.419 million people to UAE in 2008, which dropped to just 14000 in 2013-can you imagine!" he said on a note of dismay.
He said manpower export to Oman also decreased drastically in the first quarter of the current financial year.
The UAE authorities earlier in August 2012 stopped issuing all kinds of entry permits for Bangladeshi passport-holders out of security concerns over identification and fake documents.
According to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) the numbers of workers who had gone to the gulf country were 12992, 9972, 10840, 11706, and 13499 in the months of January, February, March, April and May 2014 respectively.
The BMET data also show the country sent less than 9,236 to the UAE until May last against 215,000 in 2012.
Saudi Arabia, which hosts more than 3.00 million Bangladeshi migrant workers, has imposed an embargo on recruitment with effect since 2008.
"Till now, we have been trying to meet with the gulf and other countries' government authorities to negotiate but haven't got any fruitful result," said Dr. Khondaker Showkat Hossain, secretary of the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment.
He said they are very serious for reopening the market in the Gulf countries to maintain firm growth in remittance as well as employment generation.
Dr Tasnim Siddique, chairperson of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), said that the country's outbound job-seekers are now passing through tough times as almost all overseas markets closed to Bangladesh.
She noted that the country's manpower market is dependable on some select countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. As a result, when those countries stop recruitment of Bangladeshi manpower, manpower export comes to a halt.
She suggested the government search alternative markets to keep the sector rolling.
According to BMET data more than 8.0 million Bangladeshis are working in 150 countries, most of them in the Middle East. Besides, a considerable number of Bangladeshis are working in North Africa, Australia, Europe, Canada, the USA and the UK.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
