TDS Desk:

A number of popular overseas job destinations have now shut down for Bangladeshi workers, while a number of their plights is also discouraging them from travelling to these countries for work in increased numbers. The government must adopt a number of steps to reopen the popular frontiers and also unlock new destinations.

Firstly, authorities must train up workers to meet the requirement of present day jobs, and also prepare them for diversified tasks. These would not only fill the demand for expatriate income but also protect workers’ rights.

On top of skill-specific trainings, the workers should get trainings on the different languages and cultures of the destination countries. Before embarking on foreign travel, they should also be alerted about the job responsibilities, working conditions, working environment and benefits in the targeted countries. At the end of trainings, the workers must be provided with internationally recognised certificates.

Secondly, research should be done on future potential overseas work destinations, and future skills. A team should always be alert about worker demands arising in any prospective foreign country.

Thirdly, high-level government to government talks are to be held for reopening closed markets and unlocking new ones. The foreign employers should be informed about the skills and history of workers before signing of job contracts. Diplomatic and other kinds of pressures on specific expatriate groups have to be stopped through government-government negotiations. The record of successful workers or worker groups must be publicised internationally to burning the image of Bangladeshi workers and to increase their overseas demand.

Fourthly, worker rights and safety in foreign countries must be ensured for encouraging their travel. Discussions must be held with the foreign governments and prior assurances extracted. Binding assurances and proper legal adherence are to be expected from the foreign employers and governments. Binding legal measures must be present both at home and abroad to protect the lives and interests of workers.

Fifthly, the expatriates’ use of unofficial channels for remitting earnings must be curbed or outright stopped. Many expatriates use a popular Bangladeshi unofficial mean Hundi for three reasons: expatriates’ personal and family ties with Hundi players, relief from bureaucratic red tape, fast money transfer, lucrative shadow market dollar rate, and lack of awareness about the harmful impact of hundi on national economy as well as personal criminal records.

To address these issues, the government must raise awareness about the harmful effects of hundi, popularize banking channels through positive campaigns, and digitise the process of sending remittances. All in all, the issue is also a social one, necessitating the active positive involvement among the general mass in anti-hundi campaigns.

Finally, the government must establish international standard technical institutes in all the corners of the country, provide trainings based on different skill demands in different countries, provide high-tech training on artificial intelligence and automation, use online services for visa application-document verification-training monitoring, prepare a database of existing and potential expatriate workers, set up facilities in foreign lands for speedy disposal of workers’ complaints, and ensure mental, legal and safe home services for the workers.

In these ways, authorities can unlock job markets in Europe, East Asia and Africa.