The number of skilled Bangladeshi workers heading abroad has increased since the start of the year, with many seeking jobs in Saudi Arabia’s large-scale projects, Arab News reported.
According to the data, of nearly 700,000 workers who pursued opportunities overseas this year, over 374,000 chose Saudi Arabia, which has been the top choice for Bangladeshi expatriates since 2017.
Malaysia and Qatar followed as popular destinations, according to recent data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
“Due to several ongoing giga-projects, Saudi Arabia is in high demand for migrant workers,” BMET additional secretary Shah Abdul Tarique told Arab News.
“Recently, we noticed an increase in the export of skilled migrants. Many of our construction workers go to Saudi Arabia under skilled categories. There are many drivers and electricians also employed as skilled workers.”
Saudi Arabia has launched a number of giga-projects under its Vision 2030 transformation plan, including the multibillion-dollar NEOM smart city that is overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi officials launched the Workers’ Recruitment and Skill Verification Program in Bangladesh last February, aimed at advancing the professional competence of employees in the Saudi labor market.
It focuses on several professions, including plumbers, electricians and construction workers.
BMET had set up at least 150 technical centers upon the program’s launch, offering free training to support prospective Bangladeshi migrant workers seeking employment in the Kingdom.
“We are also focusing on preparing the training centers more with market-driven equipment and logistics,” Tarique said.
“Our private sector recruiting agents are working sincerely to be attached more with the Saudi giga-projects. If this trend continues, I think our skilled manpower exports to the Kingdom will increase in the coming period.”
Friendly ties between the two countries have also driven Bangladeshi migrant workers to choose Saudi Arabia, said Shariful Hasan, head of the migration program at the country’s largest development organization, BRAC.
Hasan said that skilled Bangladeshi migrants are also being employed in the IT and financial sectors, as the Kingdom seeks to establish itself as a global investment powerhouse with sophisticated digital infrastructure.
bd-pratidin/GR
