With corona situation started improving in Asia including Bangladesh, Dhaka should constantly engage in talks with Gulf countries, Singapore and Malaysia at the top level in recovering overseas manpower market.
Manpower export of Bangladesh nosedived during just concluded month of May as the total export of manpower of Bangladesh registering only 14,200
The sudden spread of corona virus during mid-March-April period in Asia, particularly in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Gulf countries has hardly hit the export of manpower in oil-producing middle-east countries, according to data of Bureau of manpower of
Bangladesh exported a total of 195,240 workers during the period of the January-May with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recruiting 73.96 per cent of total manpower. Bangladesh exported a total of 35,732 workers in January, 49,510 workers in February, 61,653 in March, 34,145 workers in April and 14,200 in May.
As COVId-19 has hit hard export of manpower to different countries in 2020, Bangladesh should start extensive dialogues at the top level with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, UAE, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan to regain and expand labour markets in 2021, said Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) leaders, policy-makers, economists.
Manpower export started picking since last December with the country sending a total of 175,293 workers during December–March period, according to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET)
Bangladesh exported a total of 217,669 workers to overseas countries during the January-December period of the last calendar year as corona-virus hit the labour market global market.
The manpower export of Bangladesh dropped by over 69 per cent in 2020 as against 2019, according to statistics of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) against the backdrop of outbreak of COVID-19 across the world, political tension in the middle-eastern countries, budget cut in mega-projects, economic slowdown and policy of recruiting local manpower in the oil-producing countries.
Meanwhile, the number of expatriates working in Saudi Arabia fell by 257,200 during the third quarter of 2020 compared to the second quarter, according to labor force survey conducted by the General Authority for Statistics of Saudi Arabia
On the other hand, the number of Saudis employed in the labor market rose by 81,900 quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), reaching 3.25 million, during the same period.
The Saudi labor market was affected by the coronavirus outbreak during Q2 and Q3 2020.
Meanwhile, nearly a sixth of Oman’s expatriate workers left the Gulf Arab country in the first 11 months of 2020, after losing their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Times of Oman reported, citing government figures.
The National Centre for Statistics and Information calculated that 272,126 foreign workers departed, leaving the non-Omani work force at 1.4 million. Most were from Nepal, Uganda, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt.
Wealthy Gulf Arab monarchies have for decades depended on unskilled and skilled foreign workers to transform their economies. But with no formal route to citizenship or permanent residency, and no social safety nets, many expatriates who lost jobs due to measures to curb the spread of the virus have been forced to return home.
Thousands of Bangladeshis lost their jobs as the countries in the Middle East have halted a number of development projects amid dip in oil prices and spread of coronavirus across the world.
Bangladesh exported a total of 700,159 workers in 2019, 734,181 workers in 2018, 10,08,525 workers in 2017 and 757,731 workers in 2016 to different countries
A total of 146,895 Bangladeshi workers got job in different countries during the January–March period of the current calendar year.
As the manpower export plummeted in 2020, the government should also plan to send more skilled workers abroad in 2021 since some closed labour markets are expected to reopen next year, according to the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) leader.
Bangladesh had exported a total of 10,57,056 skilled and unskilled workers to the Southeast Asian country during 1976–2019 period, according to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
Bangladesh had exported a total of 10,57,056 skilled and unskilled workers to the Southeast Asian country during 1976–2019 period, according to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
Though three months of the current calendar year passed, Malaysia has not opened its market to Bangladeshi workers. Malaysia has virtually stopped recruitment of Bangladeshi workers since 2019 citing various reasons, sources said.
Sources said political stress between Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur, high number of irregular Bangladeshi migrants, unethical practice of some manpower agents and high migration costs stand in the way of resuming manpower export to Malaysia.
Though the Bangladesh mission in Kuala Lumpur has no reliable statistics on undocumented Bangladeshis living in Malaysia, some 200,000-300,000 Bangladeshis are undocumented, sources said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Saravanan in Petaling Jaya recently slammed the Bangladesh High Commission for launching an employment job portal called “Chakrir Khoj”.
Saravanan said it was inappropriate to launch the job portal in Malaysia as it undermined the government’s plan to properly manage the demand for foreign labour in the country.
“I am shocked by the action of the Bangladesh High Commission over its launch of ‘Chakrir Khoj’ without prior consultation or notification to the human resources ministry. Such action goes against the role and responsibility of a foreign diplomatic mission,” he said.
The employment portal is to enable Malaysian employers to recruit Bangladeshi workers, as well as to assist undocumented Bangladeshi workers to participate in the government’s Recalibration Programme that was announced last year.
The introduction of the Recalibration Programme allows the construction, manufacturing, plantation and agricultural sectors to legally employ undocumented workers until June 30.
Saravanan said the government had developed a national employment portal called MyFutureJobs which advertised domestic job vacancies that also catered to foreign workers as well as expatriates.
He added that “Chakrir Khoj” would jeopardise the business of more than 400 private employment agencies currently licensed by the labour department to bring foreign workers into the country.
“I view this matter seriously as it can mislead and create confusion, particularly among local employers. Under the Private Employment Agencies Act 1981 (Act 246), the recruitment of foreign workers in Malaysia is to be managed by private employment agencies licensed by the department of labour.
“These local companies have been out of business for over a year but are still paying the required licence fee,” he said.
Saravanan also said the employment portal might cause an influx of illegal Bangladeshi workers to the country which could lead to exploitation due to the uncertainty of their immigration status. It could then mar Malaysia’s image, he added.
“As much as I acknowledge the industry’s dependence on foreign workers, especially in sectors that are deemed unattractive to local workers, the ministry has always remained steadfast in ensuring that local workers are given priority to fill the job vacancies,” he said.
Saravanan added he was currently engaging with employers from sectors that were badly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, namely construction, plantation and agriculture, to advertise their vacancies on the MyFutureJobs portal to ensure no local workers were deprived of the opportunity to secure employment.
Meanwhile, Dhaka should engage in constant dialogue at the top level with Kuala Lumpur over regularizing undocumented Bangladeshis in Malaysia, sources said.
Sources said political stress between Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur, high number of irregular Bangladeshi migrants, unethical practice of some manpower agents and high migration costs stand in the way of resuming manpower export to Malaysia .
Malaysia has virtually stopped recruitment of Bangladeshi workers since 2019 citing various reasons, sources said.
Though the Bangladesh mission in Kuala Lumpur has no reliable statistics on undocumented Bangladeshis living in Malaysia, some 200,000-300,000 Bangladeshis are undocumented, sources said
According to available sources said, Malaysian economy is set to waive impact of CoCOD-19 and like to post 4-5 per cent growth this year .
As the manpower export plummeted in 2020, the government should also devise mid and long term strategy to send more skilled workers abroad in 2021 since some closed labour markets are expected to reopen this year, the leader added.
SM Zillur Rahman, a former director of Dhaka Chamber and Chamber and Industry (DCCI), while talking to the daily expressed hope that manpower export is set to revive this year with the beginning of the vaccination.
SM Zillur Rahman also said vaccination of the population is important as the government should give priority to Bangladeshi workers who will go to overseas countries in the vaccination programe.
Zillur Rahman, also chairman of Rahman Group, said the government should have a drastic plan to recover the manpower from this year.
According to available sources said, Malaysian economy is set to waive impact of CoCOD-19 and like to post 4-5 per cent growth this year .
As the manpower export plummeted in 2020, the government should also devise mid and long term strategy to send more skilled workers abroad in 2021 since some closed labour markets are expected to reopen this year, the leader added.
Bangladesh exported a total of 700,159 workers in 2019, a total of 734,181 and a total of 1008,525 workers in 2017.
SM Zillur Rahman, former director of Dhaka Chamber and Chamber and Industry (DCCI), while talking to the daily expressed hope that manpower export is set to revive this year with the beginning of the vaccination. Quoting public health experts, he has expressed the views Bangladesh will have to vaccine 75-80 per cent of its total population as a step to combat the disease.
Zillur Rahman, also chairman of Rahman Group, said the government should have a drastic plan to recover the manpower from this year.
SM Zillur Rahman has opined that Bangladesh should start effective negotiation with countries like Malaysia, UAE, the Maldives and Kuwait at the top level to reopen the labour market.
UAE labour market, a popular destination to Bangladeshis in the Gulf region, has been virtually remained scanty since 2016. Bangladesh exported only 1082 workers in 2020, 3318 workers in 2019, 3235 workers in 2018, 4135 workers in 2017, 8131 workers in 2016 and only 511 workers during the January-February period of the current calendar year.
Bangladesh should engage in constructive dialogue with UAE to resume export of manpower to the Gulf country. The UAE is the second-largest destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia.
Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), said there were currently around 500,000 Bangladeshis employed in the UAE.
“Since the UAE stopped receiving Bangladeshi workers in 2012, it’s been tough to track the exact numbers of Bangladeshi migrants over there. But I think it will be around half-a-million,” Noman told Arab News.
“For reopening the labor market, we are now working on the terms of reference and expect to start the manpower export process by the (end of) first quarter of this year,” he added.
Currently, the UAE receives a limited number of Bangladeshi migrant workers as domestic helps and drivers.
Meanwhile, The UAE has resumed accepting Filipino household service workers (HSWs) after signing a labor agreement with the Philippines giving greater protection to home-based employees.
The agreement involves recruiting Filipino domestic workers via official entities from April 2021, which “will begin a new phase of bilateral cooperation between the two friendly countries in the recruitment of domestic workers,” Saif Al-Suwaidi, Undersecretary at the UAE Ministry for Human Resources Affairs said in a statement released by state news agency WAM.
The agreement will control and regulate the recruitment process, maintain the rights of all involved parties, and reduce the overall costs of this process, Al-Suwaidi added.
The deployment of Filipino domestic workers to the UAE has been suspended since 2014 when the UAE stopped foreign embassies from verifying the contracts of their nationals serving as domestic helpers. Contract verification is required under Philippine law.
The new deployment scheme will now be covered by a Unified Employment Contract that provides stringent measures to protect HSWs pursuant to the directives of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, various Philippine media reports noted.
Under the unified contract, both the employer and the foreign recruitment agencies, and the Philippine recruitment agencies are bound by joint and solidary liability should anything happen to the Filipino workers.
The same provisions were in the standard employment contract being used in Kuwait, Philippine labor officials noted.
The UAE official also said discussions were held with their Philippine counterparts regarding “precautionary procedures implemented by the UAE to protect workers, including domestic workers, from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its efforts to offer medical treatment to patients
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s central bank said it expects the economy to return to pre-Covid levels by the middle of this year, and pledged to keep monetary policy accommodative as the country charts a recovery from the pandemic.
Gross domestic product may expand 6% to 7.5% in 2021, Malaysia’s central bank said Wednesday in its annual Economic and Monetary Review. That’s a tad slower than its earlier projection of 6.5%-7.5% growth.
