Despite government statistics claiming that the country was now exporting manpower to 160 countries, a recent study has claimed that the actual number of manpower destination was as low as only 13 to 14 countries.
The figures were found in a study titled “International Labour Migration from Bangladesh 2014: Achievement & Challenges,” carried out by Dhaka University-affiliated research group Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU).
It also showed that migration from the country was still limited to the already established markets.
New labour markets were not being explored while the existing markets were not being expanded because of poor labour diplomacy, said Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, chair of RMMRU, in a press conference to unveil the study.
“Sometimes I go to attend many international seminars, meetings where I have to speak as expert on migration issues. But unfortunately I never found our diplomats to talk with the stakeholders who are present in those programmes... But countries like Sri Lanka, Philippines’ diplomats arrange separate meetings with those stakeholders to strengthen their migrant markets further. Our diplomats attend those programmes only for two to three hours, or sometimes for the first phase of the daylong programmes.
“Really for this weak diplomacy, we lose our potential manpower market by which we can achieve 10% remittance easily to become a country of middle income,” Tasneem added.
The RMMRU study showed that compared to last year, migration rate increased only 1% this year, which was 32% less than in 2012.
The highest overseas employment took place in 2008 when over 850,000 people migrated; this year the number of migrants was 411,000; in 2013 it was 409,253; in 2012 it was 607,798.
The most popular overseas employment destinations were Oman and Qatar, while around 84% of all the manpower was exported to Middle East countries. Export to Saudi Arabia and UAE saw no significant progress, with the countries taking in 2.62% and 1.10% of total Bangladeshi migrants respectively.
The rate of women migrants, however, increased during 2014. Figures from the RMMRU showed that as of November this year, 67,583 or 17.70% of the total migrants were women; last year, women made up only 13.78% of all migrants in the country.
Bangladesh currently ranks seventh among remittance-receiving countries, drawing in $14.5bn from overseas workers as of December 19 – a figure which is 5.3% higher than last year.
The RMMRU observed that most of this remittance came in from the well-established markets, while remittance from the newer markets were being smuggled in. The research group also observed that no case has been filed so far under the new migration law since it was passed 16 months ago.
“We had submitted a draft to the government before passing the migration act where we recommended many things to prevent illegal migration; but when the act was enacted, we found many inequalities which pave way for the miscreants to get released from charges,” RMMRU Chair Tasneem said.
The country’s image was at risk of being tarnished as illegal brokers were now using cargo vessels to send women workers abroad through new illegal routes in Chittagong, she added.
