 | Manpower market shrunk for policy failure
04 November, 2006
The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment failed to explore new labour markets, while overseas employment to traditional markets like the Middle East experienced a sharp decline in the five years of BNP-led alliance rule.
The ministry also failed to control recruiting agencies, which continuously involved themselves in an unholy competition in overseas recruitment process. This led to the increase in migration cost, which ultimately became a setback for promotion of manpower export.
Bangladesh as a labour surplus country has ample opportunities of earning foreign exchange by sending its workforce to the developed countries under the framework of General Agreements on Trade in Services (GATS), a section of World Trade Organisation (WTO). But the country was unable to deal with the global issues to promote its cause.
The ministry even could not manage manpower employment in some labour-hungry Asian countries including Malaysia and South Korea just because of syndication of some recruiting agencies and uncontrolled migration cost.
EXPLORING NEW MARKETS
While neighbouring India and Nepal made great success in opening new labour markets in the developed European countries and America, Canada and Australia, Bangladesh has miserably failed to gain any foothold there, even those thrown into its lap.
For example, in the beginning of the BNP-led government, Italy offered a substantial quota of hiring workers from Bangladesh. Italy wanted Bangladesh sign a readmission agreement, which is simply consenting to deport the irregular jobseekers in the country.
This would not have affected Bangladesh at all, as almost all the Bangladeshis who previously entered Italy irregularly were pardoned under amnesties and issued work permits. Italy wanted to welcome regular migrants and discourage irregular ones, as they need workers too.
Surprisingly, the issue became a puzzle to the ministry. After sitting on the proposal for a long time, officials asked the foreign and a few other ministries for opinion.
Release link:http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/11/05/d6110501085.htm
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