Kuwait is going to resume recruitment of workers from Bangladesh after a seven-year break, senior officials at the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry said on Monday.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Kuwait has so far sent home a demand for some 593 workers’ employment in a particular company in Kuwait, they said.According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, Kuwait has been recruiting workers from Bangladesh since 1976. About 4.80 lakh workers have gone to Kuwait with employment.
But Kuwait virtually stopped recruitment of Bangladeshi workers since 2007 as they identified various problems including irregularities in recruitment through the recruiting agencies and involvement of Bangladeshi workers in illegal activities in Kuwait.
When asked, Zafar Ahmed Khan, secretary of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry, confirmed to New Age on Monday saying that the country’s labour market in Kuwait would be opened soon.
Md. Nurul Islam, joint secretary (employment) of the ministry, told New Age that Kuwait as one of the major labour recipient destinations in the Middle East, would soon start recruitment of workers from Bangladesh.
Kuwait agreed to recruit workers as the government took ‘labour-diplomacy approach’, he said, adding that they were trying to send workers to the Middle East countries including Kuwait with ‘reduced migration cost to reduce harassment.’
A senior concerned official at the ministry confirmed to New Age that the ministry has already received a demand for 593 workers’ employment from a particular company in Kuwait.
Terming Kuwait as one of the largest employers of overseas workers, he said as Kuwait’ decision to resume recruitment of workers from Bangladesh would help boost remittance inflow.
If Bangladeshi workers could continue works in Kuwait without getting involved in illegal activities, the country would gradually increase recruitment from Bangladesh, he added.
A senior BMET official told New Age on Monday that he was apprised that recruitment of Bangladeshi workers would resume soon after a high-powered team comprising officials from the manpower bureau and the expatriates’ ministry visits Kuwait.
-With New Age input
