Third Language Skill: New Employment Opportunities for Bangladeshi Youth

The importance of learning a third language in Bangladesh has become an increasingly relevant issue in creating employment opportunities for young people.

Beyond English, Arabic can open new doors for Bangladesh’s youth, particularly in the Middle East and in domestic education, translation and digital services.

Japanese can also offer opportunities in selected sectors for appropriately qualified candidates.

However, language learning must be matched with professional skills, ethical recruitment and a clear understanding of the global labor market.

Every year, thousands of young Bangladeshis leave their homes with a common dream: to secure a better job, support their families and build a more secure future. For many, the journey leads to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman or other Middle Eastern countries.

Others seek employment in international labor markets where opportunities may exist in healthcare, engineering, information technology, skilled trades and vocational occupations.

Yet an important question remains: are our young people adequately prepared to compete in these labor markets?

Bangladesh has made significant progress in sending its workforce abroad, but the next stage of progress must focus on the quality of that workforce. Academic qualifications and technical training are essential, but they are not always enough.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to communicate in a language other than one’s mother tongue and English can become a valuable professional asset. For Bangladeshi youth, Arabic deserves particular attention because it can connect appropriately trained workers with employment opportunities in the Middle East while also creating possibilities for employment within the country.

The scale of international employment makes this issue particularly important. According to the 2024 annual report of the Ami Probashi platform, approximately 1,009,146 Bangladeshi workers went abroad for employment in 2024, compared with 1,390,811 in 2023, representing a decline of 27.4 per cent.

Saudi Arabia remained the leading destination, receiving approximately 627,000 Bangladeshi workers, equivalent to 62.17 per cent of the reported total.

At the same time, domestic unemployment remains a major concern. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Labor Force Survey 2023, approximately 1.94 million young people aged 15–29 were unemployed. This represented 7.2 per cent of the youth labor force, estimated at 26.76 million.

Young people accounted for approximately 78.9 per cent of the total unemployed population.

Furthermore, people aged 15-29 represented around 28 per cent of Bangladesh’s total population according to the 2022 Population and Housing Census. These figures demonstrate the need to create more employment opportunities at home while preparing young people for overseas employment.

Language skills can contribute to both goals by improving access to suitable jobs, developing professional capabilities and enabling young people to provide language-related services to international clients.

The implications are significant. When such a large proportion of migrant workers head to one country, improving their preparation for that labor market becomes an important national priority.

At the same time, Bangladesh needs to diversify its international employment destinations and develop the skills required to access a wider range of opportunities.

Addressing youth unemployment requires more than encouraging migration; it also requires investment in skills that can be used in domestic industries, educational institutions, businesses and the digital economy.

Language training can contribute to these objectives. It cannot replace professional qualifications, practical experience or legal migration procedures.

However, it can help workers understand instructions, communicate with supervisors, read workplace notices, follow safety requirements and navigate everyday interactions. It can also help them understand employment contracts and seek assistance when problems arise.

These advantages are particularly important for workers who otherwise depend entirely on intermediaries to communicate on their behalf.

For Bangladesh, Arabic is not merely a foreign language, it is a practical skill with considerable relevance to the existing pattern of labor migration. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries employ migrant workers across construction, manufacturing, hospitality, transport, maintenance, domestic services and various technical occupations.

The availability and requirements of jobs differ by country, employer and occupation, but communication remains an important workplace need.

As a Muslim-majority country with longstanding religious, cultural and educational connections with the Arab world, Bangladesh has a particular opportunity to develop Arabic-language skills as an important part of its human-resource development strategy.

A construction worker who understands Arabic may find it easier to follow a supervisor’s instructions, recognize safety warnings and report a workplace hazard. A hotel employee may communicate more effectively with guests.

A driver may better understand directions and interact with customers, while a technician may find it easier to discuss routine maintenance problems. In healthcare and care-related work, language proficiency can be especially important for communicating with patients and colleagues, subject to the relevant professional and employer requirements.

The benefits extend beyond the workplace. Migrant workers often have to deal with landlords, transport providers, service agencies and public authorities.

Basic Arabic can help them manage daily life more independently. More importantly, a worker who understands the language may be better positioned to identify discrepancies between an employment agreement and the actual conditions being offered, ask relevant questions and seek assistance.

Nevertheless, Arabic proficiency should not be presented as a substitute for legal protection. Workers still need written contracts in a language they understand, verified recruitment channels, appropriate pre-departure orientation and access to consular or labor-support services.

Language skills can strengthen a worker’s ability to protect their interests, but they cannot eliminate exploitation or guarantee fair treatment. Therefore, language training must be accompanied by reliable employment information, transparent recruitment and effective enforcement of labor protections.

Bangladesh should move beyond offering Arabic instruction as an isolated course. Arabic training should be linked to specific occupations and destination countries. A prospective domestic worker may need different vocabulary from a construction technician, hotel employee or healthcare assistant.

Training should include practical conversation, workplace terminology, safety instructions, basic rights-related vocabulary and role-playing exercises based on real employment situations.

In addition to spoken Arabic, learners should develop reading and writing skills relevant to their intended occupations. Such an approach would turn language learning from a certificate-oriented activity into a practical employment skill.

Arabic can also create employment opportunities within Bangladesh. Qualified individuals can work as Arabic-language teachers in schools, colleges and madrasas, subject to the relevant qualifications and recruitment requirements. Other possible occupations include mosque imams, muezzins, madrasa teachers and private home tutors.

The challenge is not simply to persuade young people to learn another language. It is to build a system in which language learning leads to better preparation, informed decisions and access to legitimate employment opportunities.

A young Bangladeshi who learns occupational Arabic before taking a job in the Gulf may enter the workplace better prepared to communicate.

A graduate who combines Japanese with relevant qualifications and experience may be better equipped to pursue an eligible position in Japan. Neither outcome is automatic, but both illustrate the value of purposeful preparation.

From Dhaka to the world, Bangladesh must move beyond simply exporting labor towards preparing a skilled, multilingual and internationally competitive workforce.

English may remain an important foundation, but Arabic can become an additional bridge to opportunity, provided that language education is treated as an investment in human capability, not a promise of instant employment.

By expanding access to Arabic education, strengthening occupational training and connecting language skills with reliable employment opportunities, Bangladesh can improve youth employability, support foreign-currency earnings and develop its human resources for the future.

(The author is a Professor, Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka)