Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) urged the government to establish a proper data collection system for Bangladeshi workers returning from abroad.

“The number of Bangladeshi workers who have migrated to various countries from 1976 to 2024 is available, but there is no comprehensive data on how many workers return each year after completing their contracts. In association with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Ministry of Home Affairs, it is the best time to establish a system to track returnee Bangladeshi workers,” Prof Tasneem Siddiqui, founding chair of RMMRU, said while presenting a report on “Movement and nature of labour migration from Bangladesh 2024: Achievement and Challenge.”

RMMRU organised a press conference for sharing its observation in this regard at the Jatiya Press Club on Saturday.

The RMMRU report says some 906,355 workers have gone abroad from Bangladesh till November from January, and it expects that if the current flow of migration continues, the figure may cross the one million mark at the end of the year.

It, however, predicts that the total number of migrant workers will be 30.80% lower than last year, as 1,305,453 workers went abroad from Bangladesh in 2023

It, however, predicts that the total number of migrant workers would be 30.80% lower than the last year, as some 13,05,453 workers went abroad from Bangladesh in 2023.

Stating that the stalemate situation in July-August during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement hampered the overall migration this time, the report mentions that only 54,696 female workers have gone to different countries in the first 11 months of this year. This is only 6.03% of total migration from Bangladesh in 2024.

According to the report, this is 22% less compared to the number of female migrants in 2023 and the lowest number of female workers' migration from Bangladesh in the last 10 years if the Covid-19 years are kept aside.

RMMRU observes that although the government claims Bangladesh sends workers to 168 countries, in reality, workers primarily migrate to 12-13 countries. Over 97% of outgoing workers in the last five years have gone to just 10 countries, with Saudi Arabia alone accounting for 60% of the total this year.

Appreciating the government for its several initiatives, including advocacy for pardoning Bangladeshi workers who were sentenced in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for staging protests in support of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, repatriation of workers from Lebanon, opening separate lounges for expatriate workers and their family members at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, and removing the upper cap of investing on Wage Earners Welfare Board bonds and the special loan scheme of Bangladesh Bank for expatriates' families, the RMMRU report said there are many areas where the government needs to focus more.

The RMMRU recommended that the government take immediate steps to reopen labour markets in Malaysia, Oman, the UAE, the Maldives, Romania, Serbia, and other countries.

According to the report, the number of recruiting agencies has escalated in an unbelievable way in the last 15 years. The government issued licenses to some 935 recruiting agencies from 1976 to 2015. But it allowed 1185 more agencies to work during a five-year phase from 2018 to 2023, while 800 agencies got government approval in the last two years. Referring to the white paper formulation committee, constituted by the government, RMMRU says the reason for the sudden increase in the number of recruiting agencies was the corruption of policymakers and syndication to send workers to Malaysia.

Stating about digital corruption, it also mentions that an organisation named Ami Probashi App Ltd has received Tk262,99,65,000 from outbound workers in exchange for different services. It also alleged that the private company has shared workers' information with others without taking the consent of the service receivers.

RMMRU has stressed the importance of developing skilled workers and assessing the activities of the technical training centres (TTCs) and institutes to facilitate the process.