The country’s women workers are going to potential labour markets instead of traditional labour markets due to the good working environment and handsome wages.

According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) data, a good number of women workers have gone into the potential labour markets till June this year which is more than the traditional labour markets. Half of the women workers didn’t go to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan till June of the current year compared to the same period of the last year. The number of UK, Italy, Japan, Cyprus, and Hong Kong-bound women workers has increased in the first six months of this year than the same time of the previous year. The same data applies to Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Japan.

Bangladeshi women have been working in Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, Hong Kong, and Mauritius since 1990, outside the Middle East. From 2021 and 2022 they started to go in South Korea and Japan respectively.  

Statistics said, in 2021, 3 women workers have gone to Malaysia, 25 to Singapore, 3 to South Korea, 8 to the UK, 7 to Italy, 24 to Hong Kong, 14 to Cyprus, and 8 to Mauritius. Later in 2022, 43 women have gone to Japan. In the same year, 25 women have gone to Malaysia, 74 to Singapore, 18 to South Korea, 283 to the UK, 36 to Hong Kong, 21 to Cyprus, and 894 women workers have gone to Mauritius. The number has increased several times in these countries in 2022. In the first six months of the current year, a total of 19 women have gone to Malaysia, 43 to Singapore, 16 to South Korea, 1,291 to the UK, 62 to Italy, 56 to Japan, 69 to Hong Kong, 27 to Cyprus, and 358 women labours have gone in Mauritius. 

On the other hand, a total of 30,181 women have gone to the Middle East till June this year. Of them, 883 have gone in the UAE which was 1,761 last year, 3,652 in Oman which was 16,544 in 2022, and 3,858 women have gone in Jordan which was 11,879 in the previous year.

Migration concerned said mandatory training certificates before taking departure release for the women, additional migration costs and extra demand for the BMET officials are the main causes of reducing women workforce in Saudi Arabia in the recent time. Sending female workers by Indonesia and some African countries has also reduced the demand for Bangladeshi women labours in Saudi Arabia.

Sources said South Korea will recruit 100 Bangladeshi women (Indigenous women from 11 districts of Chattogram) as seasonal labours in agriculture and fisheries visas through Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL).  

European rich country Italy will recruit 4.5 lakh workers within 2025 from various countries in sponsor visas in agriculture, tourism, nursing and caregiving quotas. Bangladeshi women will also get equal opportunities in these sectors.

According to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Bangladeshi caregivers have huge demand in many countries.

Sumaiya Islam, executive director of Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra told Bangladesh Pratidin that after reviewing the data of the last five years they have found that women's labour markets have got very positive variation.

“We have told the government to send women workers into labour markets by providing training. Women are going to Saudi Arabia to be helpless. Saudi-going women also have less skill. On the other hand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia-bound women workers are skilled and well-trained. The door of Europe for Bangladeshi women workers has been opened. This is also a positive side,” she said.  

@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on July 15, 2023 and has been rewritten in English by Golam Rosul.