Saudi reopens manpower market for Bangladesh

In this Star photo taken on August 27, 2013, Bangladeshi workers stand in line to enter Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, before flying to a foreign country for jobs.

The manpower export market in Saudi Arabia reopened today after the country lifted its ban for Bangladeshi jobseekers following a long seven years of embargo.

Md Shahidul Islam, Bangladeshi ambassador to Riyadh, told The Daily Star that Dr Ahmed F Alfahaid, deputy minister for international affairs of KSA's labour ministry, touched base with him and informed him of the decision today.

"He (Dr Alfahaid) added that a high level Saudi delegation comprising representatives of concerned KSA ministries will visit Bangladesh probably in a week," he said.

The delegation will discuss modalities of recruitment, he added.

The Saudi government imposed a ban on importing manpower from Bangladesh in 2008 alleging anomalies in the recruitment process.

Before the embargo, around one lakh people used to migrate to Saudi Arabia for jobs.

Hints that the labour market would open was obtained on January 21 when the country's labour minister Adel Fakeih told overseas employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain that he was interested to hire skilled manpower from Bangladesh.

Minister Fakeih had underlined the need for a transparent mechanism of the recruitment process with online verification by all parties involved.