Reza Mahmud :
As Romanian employers express increasing frustration, the future of Bangladesh’s labour market in Romania—a promising destination for migrant workers—is clouded with uncertainty. Stakeholders point to dual challenges: escalating recruitment fees and a notable trend of migrants fleeing to wealthier European countries.
According to reports, a significant number of Bangladeshi workers have left Romania for countries like Germany, France, and the UK. Many attempts to cross borders illegally end in detention, exacerbating local employers’ reluctance to hire from Bangladesh.
“If we could stabilize this market, it could serve as a benchmark for other European nations to hire Bangladeshi labor,” one stakeholder suggested.
Compounding the issue, many migrants spoke of their aspirations to reach more developed parts of Europe, driven by hefty recruitment fees averaging 10 lakh Tk—a stark contrast to the government’s fixed fee of 440,000 Tk, including airfare.
This discrepancy fuels expectations that often remain unmet upon arrival in Romania, leading to dissatisfaction and illegal migration attempts.
Shah Alam, a construction worker in Timisoara, near the Hungarian border, shared his experience, “The reality in Romania was far different from what was promised. The wages and conditions are poor, pushing many to seek better opportunities elsewhere.”
Not only Shah Alam but Abdul Momin and Abu Taleb are working in Timisoara city in Romania near the Hungary border.
They said most of the Bangladeshi workers have paid about Tk 10 lakh for migration to Romania to the recruiting agencies.
“When anyone found very less amount than he was informed he must be frustrated. Isn’t it? As a result he must search the better places to
earn sufficient amount. It has been taking place in cases of the Bangladeshi Diasporas in this East European country. Most of the migrants are trying to flee to other parts of the Europe,” Abdul Momin said.
The trend of workers fleeing has not only tarnished the image of Bangladeshi manpower but also strained relations with Romanian employers.
Mohammad Abul Bashar, President of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), noted, “This issue has significantly deterred Romanian companies from employing Bangladeshi workers.”
As a result, many of the Romanian companies become annoyed and reduced their hiring from Bangladesh, he added.
BAIRA has urged the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment to consider punitive measures against workers who abandon their posts in Romania, although the ministry has yet to respond.
On the regulation front, Mohammad Abdul Hai, Deputy Secretary and Director (Employment) at the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), acknowledged the challenges, “People see Romania as a gateway to richer European nations and are willing to pay high fees to agents.”
He affirmed that BMET would act upon any substantiated complaints against recruiting agencies overcharging or misleading workers.
As the situation develops, both governmental and recruitment bodies are called to address these growing concerns to safeguard the future of Bangladeshi labor migration to Romania.
The BAIRA President said that they have recommended to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment to enact rules of taking punitive actions in case of workers fleeing from Romania, but the ministry is yet to reply to this end.
On the other hand, the migrants’ workers also accused the agencies of charging extra money beyond the government’s fixed amount.
As per the government decision, recruiting agencies can charge Tk 4,40,000 including air fare, but they are charging Tk nine lakh to 10 lakh and in cases more than these, the migrant workers alleged.