Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said transforming Bangladesh’s young population into skilled human resources is one of his government’s key priorities to increase their participation in both domestic and international labour markets.
“The present government is committed to undertaking and implementing various initiatives aimed at ensuring balanced development across all regions of the country, creating sustainable employment, and developing a skilled workforce,” he said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks while replying to a starred question from treasury bench MP Md. Robiul Awal from Tangail-6 in the Jatiya Sangsad, with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair.
Tarique Rahman said the government plans to establish Employment Exchange Centres in line with its election manifesto to improve access to employment information, skills development and local job opportunities.
He said the centres would strengthen and institutionalize labour market management while creating new employment opportunities and improving the living standards of workers.
Highlighting initiatives to expand overseas employment, the Prime Minister said the government has already taken steps to reopen the Malaysian labour market and broaden employment opportunities in Thailand, South Korea and Japan amid continued instability in the Middle East.
He said the final draft of a labour recruitment agreement has already been sent to the Thai government.
The Prime Minister also said Bangladesh missions abroad have been instructed to assess labour demand in their respective countries and submit action plans to increase manpower exports.
He noted that diplomatic efforts are continuing to reopen labour markets in Malaysia, Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Referring to the 7th Bangladesh-Qatar Joint Committee Meeting, held in Dhaka on May 18, Tarique Rahman said Qatar’s Labour Minister had expressed interest in recruiting more skilled Bangladeshi workers in various professions, while discussions were also held on expanding employment opportunities.
He added that Bangladesh is planning to sign additional labour agreements with other Asian countries.
The Prime Minister further said diplomatic efforts are underway to establish visa centres in Dhaka for North Macedonia, Serbia, Mauritius and Portugal, where employment opportunities exist but visa processing facilities are currently unavailable.
He said the initiative would make it easier for skilled Bangladeshi workers to access those labour markets.
Tarique Rahman also said the government is taking measures to reopen labour markets where Bangladeshi workers currently face restrictions and diversify overseas employment opportunities.
He noted that Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are being signed with various local governments in South Korea to recruit seasonal workers, while Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) has already started sending seasonal workers to the country.
The Prime Minister said a dedicated Japan Cell has been established under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment to strengthen coordination for expanding employment opportunities in Japan.
According to him, the cell has brought together 96 sending organizations, more than 200 private Japanese language training centres, and 60 Technical Training Centres (TTCs) under a unified framework.
He also said the government plans to introduce demand-based language training under the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) and expand the number of training institutions.
Currently, Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean language courses are being offered at 60 TTCs, while the recruitment of additional language instructors is underway, he added.