The number of people going abroad with jobs has plunged by 42 per cent in September --- the lowest monthly figure in three years --- as major labour markets show no signs of recovery, officials said Thursday.
The Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) said only 30,812 people found overseas jobs in September, down from about 53,000 in the same period last year.
The latest manpower export data also shows some 358,149 people got jobs abroad in the first nine months of the year, down by more than 38 per cent from the same period in 2008.
"It has been over 16 months since migrant workers outflow started to decline, but the performance last month was awful," he said, adding in the July-September quarter the fall was 44 per cent.
A leading recruiter said the fall has long been expected as major employers of Bangladeshi workers are mired in global recession,
while there is dearth of initiative by the government to explore new manpower markets.
"The Gulf economies and South East Asia have been hit hard by the global downturn. There has been fewer demand for our workers in these economies," said Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, also a joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA).
"We have repeatedly warned the government to take the situation seriously and explore potential new markets which have not been affected by the meltdown. But so far we haven't seen any tangible efforts by the government," he said.
Officials said despite the downturn, there has been slight increase in manpower exports to Abu Dhabi, Libya and Romania. "Demand for our labours in the three markets is growing but it is very insignificant," said an official.
The government has in recent months sent teams to former Soviet Union countries, Eastern Europe and north Africa to explore work opportunities for Bangladeshi workers. |
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