More focus on training to open more doors abroad: Expat minister

Highlights

• Approximately 1.5 crore Bangladeshi workers are currently employed in 176 countries
• Merely 1.5% of our expatriates in the Middle East are skilled
• Govt establishes 100 technical training centres nationwide to send more skilled workers abroad

Bangladesh should focus more on effective training to increase the number of skilled workers abroad, Expatriates' Welfare Minister Imran Ahmed has said.

"No matter what the paperwork says, the reality is that we mostly send unskilled workers. This scenario needs to be changed. There is a demand for skilled workers abroad," he said at the inauguration programme of National Expatriates' Day at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka on Saturday.

Mentioning that the government has established 100 technical training centres nationwide, Imran Ahmed said, "We must pay extra attention to the training centres. If there's no coordination between the training provided by recruiting agencies and government agencies, the problem will persist. If we have skilled workers, all the countries will open their doors for us."

The minister said, "If we have a trained workforce, we can grab the attention of the whole world. They will request us to provide a skilled workforce. So, we must upskill our workforce as soon as possible."

There is a great demand for IT specialists abroad and those who want to explore the jobs must have language skills, he said.

Attending the programme, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said lower-income expatriates tend to contribute a larger amount of their earnings to remittances compared to more educated individuals.

"Our remittance rate is notably low, largely attributed to a significant portion of our expatriates being unskilled. Merely 1.5% of our expatriates in the Middle East are skilled. However, those with lower levels of education contribute more significantly in remittances compared to their educated counterparts," he said.

Mentioning that Bangladesh ranks seventh in remittance earning, the foreign minister pointed out that despite having a smaller population, countries like the Philippines ($38 billion) and Mexico ($61 billion) outpace Bangladesh in remittance earnings.

India leads in remittances, surpassing all with a total of $112 billion, he added.

Regarding the issue of workers struggling to secure jobs abroad, Momen highlighted that the foreign ministry is not involved in recruitment processes.

"Previously, the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) had communicated with the foreign ministry, emphasising the necessity to scrutinise demands from certain companies. However, recently it has not been informing the ministry regarding this matter," he said.

Alleging that many Bangladeshis living abroad spread false information about the country, Momen said, "The country has developed due to peace and stability. Expats often spread false information. I hope, in future, they will shed light on the positive developments taking place in the country."

Bangladeshi expatriate workers are not respected in the host countries because they are not exported as skilled workers, observed Saleh Ahmed Mozaffar, the director general of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), at the programme.

He said, "It's our failure not to equip them with necessary skills. They reach host countries untrained."

It was reported at the event that approximately 1.5 crore Bangladeshi workers are currently employed in a total of 176 countries.

From now onwards, National Expatriates' Day will be observed every year on 30 December.