Dhaka: Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury informed Parliament that over 1.5 crore Bangladeshis are working in 176 countries worldwide. This statement was made while responding to a tabled question from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Md Amir Hamza representing Kushtia-3.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the minister highlighted the government's commitment to the dignity, rights, and welfare of expatriate Bangladeshis. He criticized the previous government's neglect of expatriate welfare and outlined various initiatives implemented by the current government to address these issues. The Wage Earners Welfare Board, for instance, allocates funds annually through 30 labour welfare wings of Bangladeshi missions in 27 countries, offering administrative, legal, and welfare services.
The minister elaborated on the legal services provided through legal assistants, including the recovery of death compensation for Bangladeshis who die abroad. To facilitate these services, 11 mission labor welfare law firms or panel lawyers have been appointed. Additional measures include arranging travel clearance for workers with passport issues, legal support for detained workers, resolving workplace disputes, and addressing expatriate housing problems.
Further measures focus on the immediate rescue and repatriation of female workers in danger, the establishment of safe homes under embassies for women workers, and regular hospital visits to ensure proper treatment of sick and injured workers. The repatriation of deceased workers' bodies, covering medical costs when employers fail, and a 24/7 expatriate call centre for problem resolution were also emphasized.
In response to another question from treasury bench lawmaker Shafiqur Rahman Kiron representing Shariatpur-2, the minister discussed the impact of the ongoing Middle East war on manpower exports from Bangladesh. He stated that the Iran and Israel-US conflict is affecting the sending of workers to several Middle East countries, including the United Arab Emirates.
He reiterated that the government's election manifesto includes plans for expatriate welfare and employment. A 180-day action plan is already in place to implement these promises. The minister emphasized the role of private recruiting agencies in the migration process, requiring clearance from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
Ariful Haque also mentioned efforts to expand the labour market and increase manpower export to developed countries in Asia, including Dubai. Diplomatic discussions are ongoing with countries where labour markets are closed or restricted, such as Malaysia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Bangladesh continues to send workers to major labour markets like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Romania, Seychelles, Portugal, and Russia, among others.
The minister noted that Memorandums of Understanding or agreements have been signed with 18 countries for sending workers from Bangladesh. An MoU with Japan allows Bangladeshi workers to be sent there as technical interns without immigration costs. Plans to send 100,000 workers to Japan over the next five years include a focus on Japanese language education, and a "Japan Cell" has been established within the ministry for this purpose.
Additionally, the government has launched a project titled "Providing Driving Training for Employment in the Country and Abroad," aiming to train 100,000 drivers. The minister reported that in 2025, 1,132,519 workers were employed abroad, including 62,352 female workers.