Dubai to recruit over 6,000 drivers from BD
Dubai Taxi Company has announced plans to recruit another 6,000 skilled drivers from Bangladesh this year, opening fresh opportunities for overseas employment and remittance growth for the country.
The recruitment process will begin on Monday at the Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Centre in Dhaka, where interviews for prospective drivers will be held.
The announcement came during a courtesy meeting between Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Ariful Haque Chowdhury and a delegation from Dubai Taxi Company at the ministry on Sunday.
During the meeting, the adviser thanked the company for continuing to recruit skilled Bangladeshi drivers and expressed hope that the hiring process would expand further in the coming years.
He assured the delegation of full support from the ministry throughout the recruitment process.
He also urged the company to provide salaries and allowances to workers during their training period after arrival in Dubai.
In addition, he encouraged the company to recruit more Bangladeshi professionals, including doctors and nurses, alongside drivers.
Representatives of Dubai Taxi Company said nearly 15,000 workers from 27 countries are currently employed by the company as taxi and limousine drivers, of whom around 8,000 are Bangladeshis.
They noted that Bangladeshiworkers are given priority because of their strong work ethic, professionalism and reliability.
The delegation also highlighted that Bangladeshi women are successfully working as drivers at Dubai Airport, reflecting growing confidence in Bangladeshi manpower in the Gulf labour market.
Officials said the interviews starting on Monday would initially screen around 1,500 drivers, while the company aims to recruit a total of 6,000 Bangladeshis this year.
The development is expected to bring significant economic benefits for Bangladesh through increased remittance inflows and wider overseas employment opportunities.
Labour migration experts say the demand for skilled drivers, mechanics, technicians and service workers in the United Arab Emirates could help diversify Bangladesh’s overseas job market beyond traditional sectors.
At the meeting, State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare Md Nurul Haque stressed the need to reduce migration costs for workers travelling to Dubai.
He said many aspiring migrant workers are from low-income families and often take loans to secure overseas jobs.
He urged relevant stakeholders to keep migration expenses within Tk100,000 to make overseas employment more accessible for ordinary Bangladeshis.
Representatives of Al Anas Overseas, the authorised recruiting agency for sending workers to the company, also attended the meeting.
They said there is growing interest in hiring Bangladeshi cleaners, technicians and mechanics in addition to drivers.
Officials believe the expanded recruitment drive could pave the way for more skilled and semi-skilled Bangladeshi workers to enter the UAE market, strengthening bilateral labour cooperation and creating new avenues for employment abroad.
