Overseas Employment Soars 28% in November as Saudi Arabia Clears Backlog
Key Insights:
- November's job outflow still 3% lower year-on-year
- Over 100,000 Bangladeshis secured overseas jobs in November
- Saudi Arabia recruited 64,605 workers last month, maintaining its top position
- Skill Verification Program slowdown easing gradually
- Recruitment in Qatar, Singapore, and Kuwait remains subdued
- Remittances surge 31% to $2.89 billion in November
Overseas employment from Bangladesh surged 28% in November compared to the previous month, primarily due to backlog clearance in the Saudi market following recent skill requirement changes, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment, and Training (BMET). However, the November figure is 3% lower than the same month last year.
Labour recruiters attribute the growth to the ongoing clearance of applications affected by the Saudi Skill Verification Programme (SVP), known as Takamul. This program mandated skills certification for low-skilled workers, initially slowing recruitment earlier in the year.
BMET data reveals that Bangladesh sent 99,874 workers abroad in November, up from 78,027 in October. Saudi Arabia recruited 64,605 workers, a 28% rise from October, maintaining its position as the largest destination.
Shamim Hossain Chowdhury, former secretary general of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), explained the slowdown due to certification implementation. "BMET is now increasing its capacity to conduct tests under Takamul. That's why the backlog is being cleared gradually," he said.
Saudi Arabia's recent introduction of mandatory SVP for low-skilled workers presented new challenges for overseas employment. However, the requirement has been temporarily relaxed for certain categories, like cleaners, following Bangladeshi requests.
Unofficial estimates suggest the country hosts over 3.2 million Bangladeshi workers, most in low-skilled jobs. Over 80% of these workers are employed in low-skilled roles like cleaning, construction, and domestic work, earning around Tk30,000 per month.
Currently, 26 technical training centres (TTCs) in Bangladesh are authorized to conduct SVP tests across 73 trades, while BMET operates around 110 TTCs nationwide. BMET conducted approximately 52,000 tests in September.
Recruitment in other major destinations remains low, with Qatar, Singapore, the Maldives, and Kuwait hiring between 2,996 and 9,160 workers in November. Labour migration to traditional markets like Malaysia, Oman, and Bahrain remains largely suspended.
Before the pandemic, Bangladesh sent 60,000-70,000 workers per month, a figure that has risen to nearly 100,000 per month in recent years.
Among European destinations, Portugal and Italy recruited over 700 workers each last month, while other European countries hired smaller numbers.
Remittances surged sharply, reaching $2.89 billion in November, a 31.37% increase from $2.20 billion in the same month last year. According to Bangladesh Bank, November recorded the third-highest remittance inflow this year, following $2.56 billion in October.
Bank officials attributed the rise to a decline in hundi operations and a more stable dollar rate. They noted a significant narrowing of the gap between open market and banking channel rates, previously Tk5-Tk7, since the government change.
