While Bangladesh surpassed its manpower export target for the 2021-22 fiscal year as countries across the globe lifted pandemic restrictions and reopened businesses, the remittance inflow declined by 15% in FY22 compared to FY21. One of the reasons behind Bangladesh’s failure to earn a higher amount of remittances despite exporting a greater number of workers is the majority of the outgoing workers are deemed unskilled or low-skilled, and thus they are paid low. Under such a situation, it is auspicious that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will recruit skilled Bangladeshi workers for the first time while continuing to recruit unskilled workers.

According to a back-page report of this daily, the two countries signed a vital agreement related to Workers’ Recruitment and Skill Verification Programme for Bangladeshi workforce in five professions promising a salary ranging from Saudi Riyal 1500 to 1800, much higher than that of an unskilled worker receives. By implementing this initiative, our country will move one step closer to enabling our employees to explore and seize a significant portion of highly paid positions, and the country will receive huge remittances, which will accelerate our economic development.

There is no denying that Bangladesh has come a long way in regard to manpower exports. However, there is no scope for the authorities concerned to be complacent; rather they should set the target to transform the remittance sector into the largest contributor to the country’s foreign exchange earnings defeating the RMG sector since the demand for skilled workers is omnipresent across the globe. If we want to make our huge population resource, making concentrated efforts is crucial that, in return, will make our economy sustainable. Therefore, we must give due importance to properly unlocking the potential of the sector and utilising it properly to make it an indispensable tool for our economic progress.