Dhaka: Overseas employment from Bangladesh maintained a satisfactory position in 2025 as the country sent 1,011,882 workers abroad with jobs from January to November 30, 2025.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, some 1,011,882 Bangladeshi nationals went abroad with jobs in the last 11 months while the figure was over 1,011,969 in 2024. A total of 1,303,453 Bangladeshi nationals went abroad with employment in 2023, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
BMET sources highlighted that a total of 14,461,546 Bangladeshi nationals have received overseas employment in various countries since 2004. Expatriate Bangladeshis sent US$21,942.76 million in 2023, US$26,890.08 million in 2024, and US$13.03 billion from July to November 30, 2025.
Recruiting agents and migrant worker rights groups reported that overseas employment faced challenges in traditional destinations like Malaysia. However, identifying new overseas job markets and the high demand for Bangladeshi workers in several countries helped Bangladesh maintain a solid position in manpower exports.
A private bank official noted a satisfactory trend in remittance inflows since December of the previous year, attributed to factors such as a narrowing gap between official and informal exchange rates and a crackdown on money laundering. Recent growth in manpower exports has also bolstered remittance earnings, with Bangladesh sending 131,053 job seekers abroad in November this year.
According to Bangladesh Bank’s latest data, remittance inflow from July to November of this fiscal year stood at $13.03 billion, an increase from $11.13 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year. A BMET official stated that 670,749 Bangladeshi nationals went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with jobs, while Qatar and Singapore received 100,439 and 64,326 overseas job seekers, respectively, during the last 11 months.
The government has been working to expand the number of overseas migrant workers while ensuring their rights and protection. Efforts to explore new destinations such as Russia, Brunei Darussalam, and Eastern Europe for skilled and semi-skilled workers are ongoing.
Experts suggest that the government should increase investment in developing need-based skilled manpower, such as nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers, as their demand is expected to rise in many countries in the future. The government has established numerous training centers in different districts, offering skill development programs to create skilled job seekers. These programs include training in shipbuilding engineering, refrigeration and air-conditioning, general mechanics, electrical machine maintenance, auto CAD 2D and 3D, welding (6G), catering, mason skills, and languages such as Korean, Arabic, Cantonese, and Japanese.
Previously, the government declared the overseas employment sector as a ‘thrust sector,’ emphasizing the expansion of job markets for Bangladeshi job seekers abroad.