Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement on the recruitment of general workers by Dr Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, on behalf of Bangladesh, and Engineer Ahmad bin Sulaiman AlRajhi, minister of Human Resources and Social Development, on behalf of Saudi Arabia.
The signing took place in Riyadh on Monday, marking the first formal agreement on the recruitment of general workers between the two countries in the 50-year history of Bangladesh–Saudi Arabia diplomatic relations.
Although Saudi Arabia has been Bangladesh’s largest overseas labour market, employing Bangladeshi workers informally since 1976, there had been no formal deal on general worker recruitment. Two specific agreements were signed earlier — one on domestic worker recruitment in 2015 and another on skills verification in 2022.
The new agreement is expected to expand the recruitment of skilled workers from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia and ensure better protection of the rights and interests of both workers and employers. It is also anticipated to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two brotherly nations.
Prior to the signing, a bilateral meeting was held between the Saudi minister and the Bangladeshi adviser. During the meeting, Dr Asif Nazrul raised several key issues, including the need for transparency in employment contracts, employer responsibility for iqama renewal, and the prompt issuance of exit visas for workers wishing to return home.
The Saudi minister instructed relevant authorities to take effective measures for the swift resolution of these matters and urged Bangladesh to continue its efforts to ensure safe and orderly migration. The two sides also discussed enhancing cooperation in the recruitment and training of skilled workers, as well as ensuring the welfare and protection of expatriate workers.
