Bangladesh faces tough times in labour markets

Bangladesh, which is eyeing increasing remittance flow through exploring new labour markets in the coming days, may face stiff challenges unless it ensures sending of skilled workers abroad, an expert says.
“One of the most important challenges that lie ahead for Bangladesh, as a labour sending country, is to enhance the skills of its labours, to stay competitive in the market,” said Kristina Mejo, Regional Programme Manager of International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In a recent paper on Bangladeshi labour migration, Kristina shows that 49 per cent of the migrant labours during the period of 1976-2009 were low-skilled (cleaners, sweepers, domestic workers, etc.) while only 31 per cent were skilled and 17 per cent semi-skilled. Only the remaining 3 per cent were professionals that included doctors, nurses, engineers and architects.
Skilled workers include garment-makers, drivers, electricians and caregivers while the semi-skilled workers include construction workers, carpenters and guards.
The IOM official said low-skilled migrants often find them exploited and face difficulty to protect them. She thinks that despite the benefits that migrant labours bring into the country by sending remittances, the sector is one which has not gained as much prominence as it should.
Remittances from Bangladeshi migrants have grown at an average rate of 17 per cent since 2001, which surged by 32.39 per cent and reached a record high of about US$10.72 billion in 2009.
The study shows that Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka are the major countries of origin of migrant workers. Experts think that Bangladesh may lose its competitiveness in international labour market and other countries will take the advantage if it fails to produce skilled workers to send abroad.
Kristina in her paper titled “Opportunities and Need for Skills Development for Migrant Workers” cited that Bangladeshis working abroad sent home a record US$ 950.92 million in the first month of current year, showing 8.81 per cent growth over December 2009.
A total of 168,026 Bangladeshis secured jobs in different countries till May 2010 from the beginning of the year.
According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), a total of 475,279 Bangladeshi migrants left the country in 2009, a 4 per cent drop from the previous year. Approximately 875,055 workers left Bangladesh in 2008.
Meanwhile, the number of migrants that left Bangladesh during 2001-2005 period averaged 250,000 per year. This figure rose to almost 400,000 in 2006 and then doubled to 832,600 in 2007, according to BMET.
Citing global migration trends, Kristina said approximately 2.5 million Asian migrant workers leave their countries every year to work abroad.
“The number of international migration in the world has more than doubled since the 1960s and is currently standing at an estimated 214 million.”
Kristina in her paper said public and private sectors’ coordinated efforts is needed to enhance the skills of workers.
“Before making investment in enhancing skills of workers, it is important to know which skills are in demand.
 
Courtesy of UNB via The Independent