Shifting towards skilled migration

The country is so far dependable on low-skilled workers in terms of migration but the situation is changing gradually, Expatriates' Welfare Minister Imran Ahmad said yesterday.

"We are shifting towards skills [of the migrant workforce]. Realising and accepting this at the earliest will yield benefit for the nation," he said.

He was addressing a discussion on the occasion of International Migrants Day organised by the expatriates' welfare ministry in the capital's Osmani Memorial Auditorium.

Addressing as chief guest, Imran Ahmad said his ministry is working to open new labour markets in different countries, stressing workers will need to gather a new set of skills to enter those markets.

He said the ministry and its different departments have digitised several of their services to reduce the hassle of migrant workers.

He also said different receiving countries have their own digital platform to recruit foreign workers whereas a similar platform of its own will help Bangladesh to address migration management and reduce the cost effectively.

The labour migration sector has significantly been contributing to addressing the country's unemployment situation. The country can get even more remittance if proper steps are taken by the government to encourage migrant workers to send their hard-earned money home through authorised channels.

— Anisul Islam Mahmud Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on expatriates' welfare ministry

Anisul Islam Mahmud, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on expatriates' welfare ministry, said remittance sent by migrant workers is a primary economic pillar of the country.

"Besides, the labour migration sector has significantly been contributing to addressing the country's unemployment situation. The country can get even more remittance if proper steps are taken by the government to encourage migrant workers to send their hard-earned money home through authorised channels," he added.

At the programme, the ministry recognised 67 Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) with Commercially Important Person (CIP) awards.

Of them, 57 NRBs received the award for "sending the highest amount of remittance through authorised channels" and another 10 NRBs got the award for "importing Bangladeshi goods".

NRB CIP Association President Mahtabur Rahman, who received the CIP Award at the programme for sending the highest amount of remittance through authorised channels, said expatriate Bangladeshis have been significantly contributing to the development of the country's rural areas.

He also urged the government to increase the existing Tk 3 lakh compensation for a deceased migrant worker's family to Tk 10 lakh and start a process to distribute national identity (NID) cards at the Bangladesh missions abroad.

"The celebration of International Migrants Day is an opportunity to highlight the contribution made by nearly 300 million migrant workers around the globe," said Abdusattor Esoev, chief of mission of International Organisation for Migration in Bangladesh.

Tuomo Poutiainen, country director of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Bangladesh, said the day is significant in the context of migrant rights, to honour them as part of the society, and acknowledge their contributions to sustainable development both in countries of origin and of destination.

Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, secretary of the expatriates' welfare ministry, said they have taken an initiative to modernise courses at the technical training centres and institutes of marine technology to send more skilled workers abroad.

Abul Basher, president of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies; Shahidul Alam, director general of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training; and Hamidur Rahman, director general of Wage Earners' Welfare Board, also spoke at the discussion.