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Thursday | October 15, 2026 | Dhaka

KSA to recruit maids, drivers, housekeepers

 New Nation
 Published: 12:00 AM, 10 February 2015

Staff Reporter :
Saudi Arabia will primarily recruit maids, drivers and housekeepers from Bangladesh at a ‘minimum cost’, while the employers will bear the full migration expenses, plane fare, levy cost etc.
After a seven-year ban on manpower recruitment from Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reopened its labour market for Bangladeshi job seekers. However, the number of labourers to Saudi Arabia could not be ascertained.
The decision was made at a meeting between the Bangladesh government and the Saudi delegation held at Probashi Kallayan Bhaban’s conference room on Monday over recruitment of workers.
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain made the disclosure in a press briefing at the secretariat after the meeting.
A 21-member Saudi delegation led by Ahmed F Alfahaid, Deputy Minister for KSA’s Labour Ministry’s International Affairs, came to Dhaka earlier day to discuss the recruitment process after about seven years.
The delegates of the home, law, foreign ministries of Bangladesh and the Prime Minister’s Office along with two counselors of the Bangladeshi labour wing in Saudi Arabia were also present there.
As per decision of the meeting, the workers export would be processed through state to state. However, the private agencies could join the procedure. It will need Tk 15,000-20,000 per worker, but no ceiling on recruitment agency’s fees. The employees will get a minimum salary of 1,200-1,500 Saudi Riyal.
 “The workers will have to spend maximum Tk20, 000 for passport processing and other activities inside the country. The employers will bear the cost of migration process,” the minister explained the process.
About the wage of the workers, the Minister further said they have yet to finalise the matter. “But the workers will get at least 1500 riyal [Tk30, 000],” he said.
“The recruitment will take place through both Saudi and Bangladeshi agencies and government will not set any margin for charge fees from the workers. We hope, about 10,000 workers will be able to go to Saudi every month,” the Minister said.
He also cautioned that anyone convicted in visa trading would be sentenced to 15 years in jail as per Saudi law.
“All the workers would be recruited from the national database which is preserved earlier by the government for overseas job seekers through online registration process,” the Minister also said.
On the other hand, Deputy Minister for International Affairs of Saudi Arabia Dr Ahmed Al Fahaid said, “We issued 1.3 million new visas for workers last year and a similar number of visas would be issued this year.
We have done very extensive studies and identified issues and we have just paved the way for private sector to recruit workers.”
The Saudi team also visited Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies [Baira] in the afternoon.
The government of KSA imposed a ban on importing manpower from Bangladesh in 2008 alleging anomalies in the recruitment process.