A year since deal inked, Greece yet to hire Bangladeshis
A year has passed since a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Bangladesh and Greece for the latter to recruit Bangladeshi migrant workers. However, Greece is yet to initiate the process.
6d ago
Irregular Migration of Bangladeshis: Mediterranean route dangerous yet popular
Irregular migration of Bangladeshis to Italy by sea has almost doubled in a year, shows UN data.
1w ago
Returning with ailments
Md Monir, a migrant worker, returned home from the United Arab Emirates with severe physical pain in June 2021.
2w ago
Skill factor hinders rise in remittance
Despite sending well over a million migrants abroad last year, Bangladesh is unlikely to get the desired remittance from them as almost four out of five of them were less skilled.
Per capita external debt doubles in 7 years
The country’s per capita external debt currently stands at more than double from what was seven years ago as both public and private sector foreign loans have seen an increase by this time.
Private sector’s foreign debt down by over $1b
The private sector’s foreign debt decreased by 4.3 per cent, or more than $1 billion, in the second quarter of the current fiscal year following Bangladesh Bank’s strict measures to control imports.
Maimed, many are left in the lurch
As Bangladesh sends tens of thousands of migrant workers abroad each year, scores return home prematurely after suffering various injuries or illnesses in the host countries
Worker outflow hits record high but remittance falls
Bangladesh sent the highest number of migrant workers in its history in 2022 thanks to a surge in demand for labourers in the Middle Eastern countries but remittance receipts did not go up proportionately.
Stimulus for large, small industries: Tk 50,000cr fresh funds see tepid disbursement
Two of the government’s 28 Covid-19 stimulus packages saw a fresh injection of Tk 50,000 crore in the ongoing financial year, but only 4 per cent of the fund was disbursed between July and October.
Fresh move to import rice as local purchase target may not be met
The government has taken a fresh initiative to import rice amid concerns that the domestic procurement target during the ongoing Aman season might not be achieved.
Illegal migration to Europe spikes
Illegal migration of Bangladeshis to Europe through various Mediterranean routes saw an upsurge this year, raising concerns over the government measures to control it effectively.
Govt aims to save Tk 20,000 crore
After the prime minister’s directive, the Finance Division yesterday asked the authorities to cut government spending on land acquisition, building construction, and machinery purchase.
Budget implementation stays low despite surging allocation
The government managed to implement 85 per cent of the budget in the last fiscal year despite spending a huge amount as subsidies and incentives, raising questions about the trend of unveiling bigger budgets year after year.
Remittance receipts to fall by $1b in 2022
With a $21-billion inward remittance anticipated, Bangladesh is likely to be the seventh highest recipient of remittance globally this year, said the World Bank’s latest report.
Wage Earners’ Welfare Board: Expatriates signing up to get benefits
In recent years, Bangladeshi expatriates have been registering as members of the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board (WEWB), which enables them to avail of its various welfare services, right from their host countries.
Labour migration may exceed pre-Covid levels
The growing number of people from Bangladesh registering for work overseas indicates that international migration from the country may soon surpass pre-pandemic levels, according to a recent report by the World Bank.
Infrastructure development: ADB ready to give $20b but has concerns
The Asian Development Bank is ready to give over $20 billion to finance Bangladesh’s road and railway projects but raised concerns over the timely implementation of schemes.
Brunei keen on migrants, Bangladesh want oil
Brunei wants to hire Bangladeshi workers only under a government-to-government arrangement to streamline the recruitment process, which has been plagued with irregularities for years.
Reintegration of returnee migrants: Loan requirements too hard to meet
Returnee migrant workers find it difficult to meet the reintegration loan eligibility set by the Probashi Kallyan Bank.
Regularisation in Greece: 1,000 Bangladeshis register at embassy
More than 1,000 Bangladeshi undocumented migrants have enlisted their names at the Bangladesh embassy in Greece for a regularisation process of the Greek government, which is yet to start.
Fiji to hire more workers from Bangladesh
Fiji has emerged as a potential destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers with job opportunities opening up for foreign workers in various sectors including construction, garment and agriculture.
Finding hope in Maldives
About 16,000 Bangladeshi undocumented migrant workers have so far been regularised in the Maldives under a programme of the Maldivian economic development ministry, according to the Bangladesh High Commission in Malé.
Female migrants in Saudi Arabia: Lure of good days lands them in nightmare
When Julekha Begum left the country in mid-February for a housekeeper job in Saudi Arabia, she promised her seven-year-old son of better days.
573 workers left for Malaysia in August
As many as 573 migrant workers have gone to Malaysia for employment in August, shows latest data of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training.
Ethnic minorities to get jobs in Korea
Persons belonging to ethnic minority communities in Bangladesh will be getting employment opportunities as “seasonal” workers in South Korea’s agriculture and fisheries sectors.
Regularisation of workers: Greece to open up scope for Bangladeshis mid-Sept
The Greek government is likely to start regularising undocumented Bangladeshi migrants from mid-September, according to the Bangladesh embassy in Athens.
Romania labour market opening up
Romania has emerged as a destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers.
Undocumented in Maldives: 34k Bangladeshis to get papers
About 34,000 Bangladeshi undocumented migrant workers in the Maldives are in the pipeline for regularisation under an amnesty programme there, according to an estimate of Bangladesh High Commission in Malé.
Sending workers to Greece: No recruitment even 5 months after deal
More than five months have passed since the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Bangladesh and Greece on sending workers to the European country, but the fresh recruitment is yet to begin.
Malaysia labour market: 2 agencies get ‘recruitment approval’
The government yesterday gave recruitment approval to two agencies for sending migrant workers to Malaysia amid allegations of attempts to create a “syndicate of 25 agencies”.
88pc female migrants get no job contracts
Parul Begum (name changed), a single mother of two, thought she caught a break when she got the offer to work as domestic help in Qatar for a monthly salary of Tk 40,000.
Govt takes austerity to field level
In face of growing pressure on the country’s economy, the government issued strict directives to field-level administration to practise austerity while spending from the budget allocation.
Bangladeshi workers struggling amidst economic crisis in Lebanon
Bangladeshi migrant workers continued to face financial hardship in Lebanon, while many found it difficult to remit money home after making ends meet, due to a prolonged economic crisis there.
Natural disasters 2015-2020: Loss, damage rise tenfold
Household loss and damage due to natural disasters saw nearly tenfold increase in 2015-2020 compared to that in 2009-2014, says a report of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Women do unpaid domestic work 8 times more than men: BBS
Women spend eightfold more time than men in domestic and care work, said a new survey of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Dip in remittance: Hundi at play again
Remittance inflow fell in 11 months of the current fiscal year mainly because a large number of migrants switched to informal channels like hundi from formal ones for sending money, say experts.
Will the budget close gender gap?
In his latest budget speech, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal emphasised on giving importance to young women’s skill development in professional and technical fields to reduce the country’s gender gap.
Elderly poor, others: Govt to shelve safety net expansion plan
The government is going to discard its plan to bring all elderly poor under its social safety net programmes in 100 more upazilas in a bid to prevent the non-poor from misusing the support.
Migration to Malaysia: No progress after MoU
Bangladesh is missing out on a large labour market in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur stopped taking in any fresh Bangladeshi migrants over irregularities by recruiting agencies in 2018.
Remittance may look up: Outward flow of migrant workers hits 4-year high
Nearly 8 lakh migrant workers went abroad in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, comfortably exceeding the numbers a year ago, a development that bodes well for Bangladesh as it could pave the way for higher remittance earnings.
Illegal migration to europe: Desperate trips on deadly routes
Kabir Matubbar (not his real name) took an illegal route to Italy from Bangladesh in 2015. The trip included a daring boat journey in the Mediterranean Sea from Libya.
Migrants’ eid this year: Hope back after Covid horror
After a severe dip in his earnings in the last two years of the pandemic, Hajrat Ali, a migrant worker in Malaysia, is very happy this time as he sent home an additional amount for his family’s Eid celebration.
Migrant workers: Dedicated centre to help ease their hassles
The government has established a dedicated centre for migrant workers to reduce the hassles they face while migrating abroad and returning home.
Saudi Arabia keen on investing $10b in 15 Bangladesh projects
Saudi Arabia has shown interest in investing more than $10 billion in 15 large- and small-scale projects in Bangladesh.
Pension for all: Roll-out in a year
The long-awaited universal pension scheme, one of the pledges of the ruling party’s 2008 election manifesto, is expected to take off within a year.
UAE-bound passengers: Covid test within 48 hours before flight will work
The struggle of UAE-bound passengers at the Dhaka airport islikely to be over as the Gulf country issued a new travel advisory yesterday withdrawing the mandatory provision for Covid RT-PCR test at the airport within six hours before departure.
Migrant workers destinations: ‘Vision-2030’ makes KSA ‘best’ for Bangladeshis
With 4.57 lakh workers hired from Bangladesh just last year, Saudi Arabia has been the top destination for Bangladeshi migrants for the past five years.
It’s not pro-migrant workers
Expatriates’ welfare ministry has taken up an initiative to revise the costs for international migration, with the aim to make it more “realistic” for the labour force.
February 5, 2022
5 Migrant destinations: Pandemic shoots down labour export
Bangladesh’s efforts to send workers to five countries have suffered a blow as those nations adopted restrictive measures before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
January 30, 2022
Left behind, left uncared for
Since her husband migrated to Saudi Arabia as a worker in 2018, Kulsum Begum (not her real name) has been looking after their family back home in Tangail.
January 20, 2022
Doors to Italy to remain open
Bangladeshis will continue to have the opportunity of applying for employment in Italy through the legal process as seasonal and non-seasonal workers in various sectors.
January 8, 2022
Regular migration to greece: Doors open next month
Migrant workers from Bangladesh may soon be able to go to Greece by legal means as the two countries are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in this regard next month.
January 7, 2022
‘All for nothing’
It took Habibur Rahman around two weeks of hectic journey to enter Greece from Turkey via an illegal route back in July 2020.
December 22, 2021
Bangladeshi Workers: Marooned in Lebanon meltdown
Migrant worker Mashiur Titu saw his monthly income in Lebanon drop by half in two years due to a prolonged economic crisis in the Arab country.
December 20, 2021
Labour Migration to Malaysia: Employers to bear costs at their end
Employers in Malaysia will bear Bangladeshi workers’ migration costs incurred in that country, the expatriates’ welfare ministry said in a press release after the signing of an MoU between the two countries.
December 18, 2021
Recruitment from Bangladesh: Malaysia opens doors, finally
Malaysia will soon open its market for Bangladeshi workers, ending a freeze of more than three years, but concerns remain over the syndication of a few agents and the high cost of migration -- major factors behind labour exploitation in the past.
December 18, 2021
International Migrants Day: Migration cost high, pay low
Shahidul Mia (not his real name) spent about Tk 4 lakh to get employed in Saudi Arabia last year.
November 27, 2021
Int’l Labour Migration: Majority of districts falling behind
Although Bangladesh has seen a rise in overseas jobs over the years, in majority of the districts, international labour migration is quite low, largely due to lack of recruiting activities in those regions.
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