Saudi Arabia lifts 6-year ban on recruiting workers from Bangladesh

Saudi Arabia has officially lifted a six-year-old ban on recruiting workers from Bangladesh.

The decision will benefit all categories of workers including skilled, unskilled and professionals such as doctors, nurses, teachers, farm and construction workers, Golam Moshi, Dhaka’s envoy to the kingdom, told Arab News on Thursday. 

Channels for recruitment from Bangladesh was reopened after talks between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at Jeddah in June, he said. 

“We are thankful to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for allowing us to resume recruitment,” said Ambassador Moshi.     

The ban did not apply to female domestic workers who make up for 60,000 of the 1.3 million Bangladeshis working in the kingdom.

“Visas for male domestics were issued only from June, and there is a sizable number coming into the Kingdom regularly,” he said. “On average 6,000 female workers arrive here per month.” 

Ambassador Moshi said there were 48 categories of workers from Bangladesh serving in all parts of the kingdom.

Both countries agreed to enhance cooperation in manpower when Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Islam met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Labor Mufrej Al-Haqabani in January. 

They decided to on recruitment of more housemaids from Bangladesh and vowed to address issues such as migration cost, training Saudi-bound workers, and recruitment of more male workers.