Bangladesh receives record $22B remittances in 2021

Although coronavirus hit every country in the world, Bangladesh sent 6,17,209 workers overseas and received a record $22 billion as remittance in 2021.

“The trend of overseas employment is satisfactory during the Covid-19 pandemic,” an official of the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry told BSS.

He said the overall manpower export from Bangladesh is expected to increase gradually although the Covid-19 pandemic hit the whole world.

Expatriates income declined for six consecutive months due to the second outbreak of the pandemic. Even then, a record amount of remittance came to Bangladesh in the year just ended. 

“We’ve been working to increase the number of overseas migrant workers as well as ensure the rights and protection of them following the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” the official said.

From 2009 to 2021 the government sent 74 lakh 68 thousand 132 workers abroad with jobs. 

About the overseas labour market during the Covid-19 pandemic, the official said, the government collected information about the overseas labour market through diplomatic missions.

Besides, experts advised the government to invest in developing need-based skilled manpower for the post-Covid-19 world as they believe the demand for jobs of nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers would increase in many countries.

According to data in the ministry, the government has already set up many training centres in different districts along with skill development programs to create skilful job seekers.

The government encourages documented overseas employment, as an important component of earning foreign currency.

Bangladesh has become the eighth largest remittance-receiving country and the sixth-largest migrant-sending country in the world, according to the World Migration Report 2022.

The government provided various training including diplomas in shipbuilding engineering, refrigeration and air-conditioning, general mechanics, electrical machine maintenance, auto CAD 2D and 3D, welding (6G), catering, mason, Korean, Arabic, canton, Japanese language and others.

Earlier, the government declared the overseas employment sector as a “thrust sector” with maximum stress on further expanding job markets for the Bangladeshi job seekers abroad.