Reza Mahmud
Chief Reporter, The New Nation :
Bangladesh’s manpower export sector has faced significant challenges in 2024, with major shifts in global labour market dynamics. The year started on a positive note, with thousands of Bangladeshis heading to Malaysia, one of the country’s largest destinations for manpower exports. However, by May 30, Malaysia closed its doors to Bangladeshi workers, dealing a severe blow to the sector.
Talking with The New Nation, Reaz-ul-Islam, former Senior Vice-President of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), described 2024 as a “frustrating, confusing, and uncertain” year for the sector. He attributed this to unrealistic government policies and disruptions caused by Malaysian syndicates. He also highlighted the challenges in the Saudi Arabian market, where employers have failed to honour their contractual commitments, leaving many Bangladeshi workers unemployed after arriving in the Kingdom.
Islam stressed the need for collective efforts to explore new labour markets, with diplomatic channels, recruiting agencies, and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare playing key roles in this process. Fakhrul Islam, former Joint-Secretary General of BAIRA, also emphasised the importance of opening new markets. Talking with The New Nation, Fakhrul also suggested that there are significant opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in Europe, the Americas, Japan, Korea, and Central Asia, but noted that there have been insufficient initiatives to tap these markets.
According to data from the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), 617,209 Bangladeshis went abroad for work in 2021. The sector experienced a boom in 2022, when a record 1,135,873 workers were exported. This growth continued in 2023, with a further 1,305,453 Bangladeshis securing job visas abroad. However, the closure of the Malaysian market in 2024 marked a sharp decline in this upward trajectory.
While efforts to resume the Malaysian market have slowed, demand for Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia remains high. As of November 2024, BMET data shows that 906,355 workers have gone abroad, a sharp decline from the previous year. Despite these challenges, remittance inflows to Bangladesh grew by approximately 6 per cent in 2024, largely driven by Saudi Arabia and emerging opportunities in smaller destinations such as Oman, Qatar, and Jordan. However, the growth rate was slower than in previous years, largely due to the prolonged closure of Malaysia and tightening visa policies in other countries.
According to Bangladesh Bank data, remittance inflows stood at USD 21.29 billion in 2022 and USD 21.94 billion in 2023. By November 2024, the total remittance inflow had reached USD 8.32 billion. In November 2024, a total of 102,987 Bangladeshis left for foreign jobs, slightly down from 104,810 in October. This indicates that while around 100,000 workers may leave in December, the overall export of manpower is unlikely to reach the record set in previous years.
BAIRA leaders and BMET officials have expressed concern over the sector’s growing dependency on Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom remains the dominant destination for Bangladeshi workers, accounting for over 60 per cent of the total manpower export in 2024. As of November, Saudi Arabia had hosted 541,698 Bangladeshi workers, followed by Malaysia with 93,356, Qatar with 68,530, and Singapore with 52,175 workers.
Stakeholders have also criticised the previous government for not giving adequate attention to the manpower export sector, despite its importance to the economy. However, the interim government has taken some positive steps to dignify the nation’s expatriates, including offering them VIP treatment at airport lounges.
Similarly, Md Ruhul Amin, Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, could not be reached for comment on the reopening of the Malaysian market and the exploration of new labour destinations.
