COVID-19 derails migrant jobs for Bangladeshis

The outflow of migrant workers dipped 55 percent year-on-year to 181,273 in the January-August period due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to government data.

The Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry shared the data with Cabinet members, painting a grim picture of overseas jobs for Bangladeshis, in a virtual meeting led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.

The expatriates’ welfare ministry also sent a report to the Cabinet outlining the steps to alleviate the dire situation.

The target for overseas employment in 2020 was 750,000. Only 181,273 migrant workers went abroad between January and August, compared to 406,962 in the same period a year earlier, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said in a media briefing at the Secretariat.

As many as 141,036 workers have returned home to Bangladesh as of Sep 18. The authorities are now taking different steps to send them back.

“Almost 10 million Bangladeshis live and work abroad,” Islam said.

A total of 5,974 expatriates returned to the country from Apr 29 to May 31 during the lockdown. They were handed Tk 5,000 each at the airport, he said.

In fiscal 2019-20, migrant workers sent home $18.21 billion, a record in inward remittances, which is a 9.6 percent jump from the previous year.

“We were worried about fallout from the COVID-19, but remittances crossed our expectations, which is good.”

On the ongoing crisis over travelling to Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told the Cabinet that he had spoken to the authorities in Saudi Arabia and they reassured that Iqama or residence permits would be extended so that everyone can travel.

“Besides this, the foreign minister has requested a change in the Iqama rules, so that the workers may switch their jobs. Because most of our people work in the private sector,” Islam said.

Momen urged the Saudi authorities to allow Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudia to operate more flights in and out of the two countries.

The foreign minister was asked to submit a report on how to provide better overseas work opportunities and ways to create better work opportunities in more countries at the next Cabinet meeting.