Singapore has proposed to take some 40,000 trained Bangladeshi women as domestic help.
The proposal came on Thursday as a delegation of Singapore Association of Employment Agencies called on expatriate welfare and overseas employment minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain at the secretariat in Dhaka.
The delegation informed the minister that Singapore would recruit 1.90 lakh domestic workers from different countries, reports United News of Bangladesh
The workers would have to have passed Class VII, with the ability to speak English moderately, the delegation said.
The hiring process is expected to start within three months and the number of recruitment is expected to increase gradually.
Association president Shirey Ng Chiou Peng led the four-member delegation. The other three members were Huah Teng Lin, Johnny Lim and Sowmia Latha.
After the meeting, the minister said 200-300 Bangladeshis leave for Singapore every day, mostly to work in construction, seaport and service sectors, reports Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.
The monthly salary of the domestic workers has been fixed at $240, equivalent to about Tk 20,000, he said.
They would be sent through government channels, particularly by the Bangladesh Overseas Employment Service Limited, he added.
An agreement in this regard is expected to be signed with Singapore in two to three months, the minister said.
To create employment opportunities abroad, education for girls up to class VIII would be made compulsory in rural areas, the expatriate welfare minister said.
Expatriate welfare and overseas employment secretary Jafar Ahmed Khan and other senior officials were also present during the meeting.
