Job-oriented education necessary for stopping hiring foreign workers
The number of foreign nationals working in Bangladesh is rising thanks to expanding industrial activities, a development that also points to the education system’s inability to churn out skilled workforce needed to keep the wheel of the economy turning. Bangladesh has maintained more than 6 per cent growth in the last one decade and the contribution of the industrial sector, particularly the manufacturing segment, to the gross domestic product has increased as the country is gradually becoming an industrial hub from an agrarian economy.
With a view to meeting the demand for skilled workforce, particularly top and mid-level managers, the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) alone approved 15,128 applications seeking work permits in 2021-22, up a staggering 87.32 per cent from the previous year. Of them, 7,790 were new and 7,338 sought renewals, according to the annual report of the state-run investment promotion agency. The applicants came from 106 countries. The permits are for foreign nationals who are engaged in Bida-registered industrial projects, commercial offices, and other organisations.
Russia sat atop the list of the countries with the highest number of foreign nationals as 3,966 Russians sought fresh work permits or renewals. India came second with 3,212 applications and China at third with 2,346 applicants.
Industry insiders say foreigners that are employed in Bangladesh are mainly from industrialised nations or countries that have seen significant industrialisation. For instance, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Taiwan, and Japan have a long history in the textile and garment business and many graduates from the countries possess the skills sought by Bangladeshi industries.
Apart from the Bida, government agencies such as the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority, and the NGO Affairs Bureau as well as some ministries granted work permits to foreign nationals working on various projects.
There is a crisis of skilled manpower across the globe. Almost all five-star hotels have to appoint foreigners as general managers and main chefs due to an absence of skilled manpower in those positions. In Bangladesh, manpower is not groomed and there is lean linkage or no linkage between industries and universities. We recurrently say for strong linkage between industries and universities, however, no recognisable progress is seen.
