Quality migration ‘still not ensured’ despite record overseas jobs: RMMRU

The quality labour migration has not been ensured yet though Bangladesh sent a record 13 lakh workers abroad last year, says the Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU). 

The high turnout of unskilled employment, high migration cost, joblessness of workers in destination, wage theft, and remit through hundi have been raised as the major challenges of the whole migration process, as per the observation of the RMMRU.

"While prioritising quality migration to attract skills and bolster economic growth, we recognise the continued need for less-skilled migration. Striking the right balance ensures both types contribute to a robust economy," Tasneem Siddiqui, founding chair of RMMRU, said on Wednesday (31 January). 

She was addressing an event for the publication of an annual report of the organisation, titled "Dynamics and nature of labour migration from Bangladesh 2023".

Focusing on quality migration, she pointed to the ILO's initiatives like prior learning certification. This allows individuals, such as those participating in the Happy Return Programme before returning to South Korea, to get their pre-existing skills and knowledge officially recognised.

She said, "Despite the proliferation of training centres, there is a lack of budget allocation directed towards ensuring quality. Additionally, there is a mismatch, as not all individuals trained for quality go abroad. Only a small percentage of those skilled through our training centres work overseas.

"People going abroad in large numbers are the ones agencies can extract money from. So, we need to take measures to compel agencies to hire these [skilled] people," she added.

Salim Reza, member of the National Human Rights Commission, underscores the shared responsibility of both destination and origin countries in ensuring safe and orderly migration. He cites South Korea and Japan as examples of countries with well-developed systems that protect the rights of migrant workers.

Despite the record number of workers abroad, remittance growth in 2023 remained stagnant at 2.88%, compared to $21.92 billion received in 2022. Migration from the country rose by 13% last year while receiving $21.92 billion in remittances.

Skilled migration saw a 2.04% increase last year, while less skilled migration experienced a decline of 23.01%. Female overseas employment dropped by 27.45% last year, and around 86,621 workers returned home with outpasses, according to RMMRU.

The organisation blamed people's lack of trust in banks due to widespread embezzlement in addition to the hundi for not increasing remittance flows in line with high immigration.   

"Widespread embezzlement in banks erodes trust in the banking system, discouraging remittances through official channels. Besides, the value of the taka falling against the dollar complicates assessing remittance growth last year," said Tasneem Siddiqui.

The report recommends declaring 2025-2035 as the "Decade of Migration"; by allocating funds for the migration sector in political manifestos, facilitating reporting issues faced by migrants, increasing trust through attractive investment opportunities for migrants' and raising awareness about the benefits of using formal channels for remittances.