Overseas job market in deep crisis

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A lot more than 165,658 personnel returned home from 29 countries between April 01 and September 30 this season due to various reasons. According to a written report, such hapless expatriates were forced to come back when confronted with circumstances like job cuts, irregular status and expiration of their job contracts.

However, the country's Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad said recently that the number of Bangladeshi migrant personnel returning from abroad as a result of global coronavirus pandemic and other reasons isn't 'alarming'.

According to him, a small number of Bangladeshi workers, who were in deportation centres due to coronavirus pandemic, have returned as different countries have deported irregular workers.

The minister said it was feared that the monetary recession and the coronavirus would disrupt the labour markets of the major employer countries, leaving many personnel unemployed. The quantity of returnee workers, however, hasn't become alarming.

The number of Bangladeshi workers abroad is more than 10 millions. Many personnel had to come back home because of the pandemic. The quantity of people time for the country will be around 0.27 million.

However the real scenario is that the overseas employment sector for Bangladeshis is bleak with a large number of migrants at night about their jobs because of coronavirus pandemic.

However, the jobless workers' homecoming continues unabated. Also,those that  returned to the united states on leave prior to the virus outbreak remain stranded in the country.

Such a volatile situation is having a direct effect on remittance earnings in the coming days. On the other hand, most of the estimated 100,000 staff 'on leave' are yet to come back with their worksites for travel ban imposed by destination countries. Even visa and iqama of several workers have expired.

According to migration experts, the overseas employment sector is passing through a deep crisis. Workers are struggling to save lots of their livelihood. If the crisis isn't managed properly, it'll impact employment and also foreign remittance, they observed.

There is absolutely no denying that the united states is getting adequate remittance earnings through the pandemic. The government's 2.0-per cent incentive has contributed to the overall remittance income since 2019.

However the current trend appears not to be normal. The trend shows that the migrants are remitting more as much are closing businesses or investments before returning from the Middle East.

Workers are, according to reports, trying to send remittance whenever you can as they are also worried about job cuts in the oil-rich Middle-Eastern countries. Hundi, visa trading, illegitimate trade have declined in corona time. So, remittance income has got a large jump through formal channel lately.

But, such a trend won't continue for long. According to experts, the government should take effective measures to safeguard the sector.

Almost all of the returnees who are from the United Arab Emirates number 44,616followed by Saudi Arabia 39,188, Qatar 14,911, Oman 10,713, the Maldives 10,483 and Kuwait 9,997, according to reports.

Due to financial cost of Covid-19, labour-receiving countries started job cuts. So many Bangladeshis have lost jobs. Besides, the personnel who went abroad recently could not manage jobs.

A lot more than 50,000 workers originated from Saudi Arabia on leave before coronavirus outbreak. They are facing uncertainty over restarting their work. Saudi Arabia has extended the validity of iqama for Bangladeshis by 24 days. But personnel said almost all of them cannot go there as they cannot extend validity of visa.

The validity of visa for Saudi-bound employees expired recently, but most of them cannot contact their sponsors for procedure seeking visa extension. At least 120,000 staff who were in the offing of going abroad with jobs also didn't do so.

Local manpower recruiters said it’s likely that slim about sending personnel abroad as job markets won't take in staff soon. The united states obviously lacks coordination and monitoring system in migration management.

Analysts suggest that the government should strongly cope with the matter diplomatically with job destination countries to get back the stranded workers. Fresh job opportunities also need to be designed for overseas job seekers. The federal government should plan an effective reintegration programme for jobless returnees. 
Source: https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd

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