ALTHOUGH job crisis hit the world during pandemic, surprisingly manpower recruiting agencies are facing an applicant crisis. As many people cannot afford the higher expenses for overseas jobs because of their income erosion caused by Covid-19, people are reluctant to fly, worrying pandemic-led changes in the destination countries. Recruiting agencies have got demands of manpower as cleaners, construction workers, and salespersons for shopping malls and hotel staffs in Saudi Arabia. When 42 per cent of Bangladesh’s total population lives under poverty line, local job market has squeezed, capital flight riddled economy and political instability discouraged employment generation, migrant workers earning help runs the economic wheels. So, the government should encourage people to go for safe migration, and must ensure they enjoy migrant workers’ rights in the destination countries.
The recruiting agencies have reduced migration costs for Saudi-bound workers to Tk 2-3 lakh from over Tk 4 lakh per person, but not getting enough willing migrants. Recruiters say migration aspirants reduced to one fourth after the pandemic hit. Every year, on an average, around seven lakh Bangladeshis get jobs in different countries, mostly in the Middle East. Last year, the pandemic brought the normal trend of overseas employment to a halt, shutting it for the April-June period that year. In August, the Middle East job markets reopened.
More than 2.17 lakh Bangladeshi migrants travelled to different countries last year. Among them, 36, 451 have been employed after the reopening of the markets from July to December. The countries which have reopened their labour markets for Bangladeshis, are Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, and Singapore. Saudi Arabia is the top destination for Bangladeshi migrants where 74% of employment of Bangladeshi migrants was generated last year. Although the labour market in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) has remained closed since 2012, workers can find employment there after going with visit visas.
To overcome the Covid-19-led recession, airlines have increased airfare that discourages job seekers. Many aspirants want to migrate Malaysia and the UAE, which might be reopened soon. Remittance from migrant workers is the single biggest source of economic earning of Bangladesh without much investment. The government should therefore nurse the sector and ensure safe migration.
