August sees record overseas recruitment; momentum may not continue, Baira warns

Highlights 

• Rise in overseas employment:
  • 241% increase from July this year 
  • 169% rise YoY
  • Saudi alone hired 99,381 Bangladeshis in August
  • Occurred thanks to temporary suspension of skill certification for certain workers
• Overseas deployment dropped in July due to SVP for low-skill jobs
• Mandatory visa attestation contributed to backlog of applications
• 30% of applicants failed the SVP test over past 2yrs
• Around 70 job categories fall under SVP

Bangladesh sent a record 1,42,665 workers abroad in August 2025 – the highest-ever single-month overseas employment – according to data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

This figure reflects a 241% increase from July this year and a 169% rise compared to August 2024. The dramatic rise was largely driven by Saudi Arabia, which alone hired 99,381 Bangladeshi workers in August.

The surge In followed a temporary suspension by the Saudi Embassy of mandatory skill certification for Bangladeshi workers – particularly in the low-skilled loading-unloading sector – which provided significant relief, confirmed sources at the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira).

Infograph: TBS

In July, overseas employment had dropped to 41,797 workers due to the introduction of the Saudi Verification Program (SVP), which made skill certification mandatory for low-skilled jobs.

However, Baira insiders warn that the momentum may not last. The SVP (also known as Taqamul) was reinstated this month for low-skilled workers, creating fresh hurdles for future overseas employment.

Additionally, the reinstatement of mandatory attestation for single-entry visas by the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh contributed to visa processing delays, resulting in a backlog of thousands of applications.

Mohammad Fakhrul Islam, former joint secretary general of Baira, told The Business Standard, "Recently, several complications have emerged in the overseas recruitment process. The new requirement called Taqamul demands additional documents and certifications."

He added, "Even for jobs like cleaning and loading-unloading, training and computer-based test certificates are now required – things most of our workers are not familiar with or trained for. As a result, they struggle to obtain these certificates, facing long delays and difficulties in getting appointments at designated centres."

On cleaners, he clarified: "Certification is not mandatory for all categories. For example, road cleaners or house cleaners don't need it, but other positions do."

He further explained, "Last month, the Saudi Embassy temporarily relaxed the requirement for loading-unloading jobs, which led to an increase in visas. On the other hand, the Bangladesh Embassy also started issuing job demand letters without attestation for three months. These factors together helped many workers secure visas from the existing backlog."

Medical centres accused of fraud in Gulf-bound migrants' health tests

Certification hurdles

The SVP certification has made it harder for Bangladeshis to access low-skilled but high-demand jobs in Saudi Arabia, such as cleaning and loading-unloading. These two categories alone account for about 60% of Bangladeshi workers headed to Saudi Arabia, BMET data shows.

The Saudi Embassy has suspended visas for these roles without SVP certification, creating new backlogs. Industry insiders fear this could shrink Bangladesh's largest labour market further.

According to BMET, 30% of applicants failed the SVP test over the past two years. Currently, around 70 job categories fall under the program.

To accommodate the SVP, BMET has initially launched skill verification assessments for the loading-unloading trade in nine technical training centres (TTCs) across the country. 

The trade will later be rolled out to 20 TTCs after Saudi authorities visit and approve the facilities under the SVP.

"Our monthly target is to assess 30,000 workers in loading-unloading and 5,000 in cleaning. Combined with other skills, we aim to bring at least 40,000 workers under Takamol each month," BMET Training Operations Director Salah Uddin told TBS.

Over the past five years, Saudi Arabia absorbed 57% of the 4.5 million Bangladeshi workers deployed abroad. More than 80% of them were employed in low-skilled jobs.

Unofficial estimates suggest over 3 million Bangladeshis currently work in Saudi Arabia, making it the single largest overseas labour market for the country.

Single-entry visa attestation temporarily relaxed

Saudi work visas fall into two categories: group visas (for 25 or more workers under the same employer) and single-entry visas.

While attestation has always been mandatory for group visas, the requirement for single-entry visas was reintroduced in early 2025 after reports of Bangladeshi workers arriving in Saudi Arabia without valid jobs or residency permits (Iqamas).

The attestation process verifies job offers and reduces exploitation risks.

Although the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh had relaxed attestation temporarily to ease migration, stricter enforcement followed amid reports of poor working conditions and premature worker returns. A digital attestation system has since been introduced to improve transparency.

"Work could not proceed without embassy attestation. Even though the process has now been relaxed, it's only temporary, just for three months," said Fakhrul Islam of Baira. "So while things may ease slightly next month, complications could rise again later."

Tipu Sultan, another former Baira Joint Secretary, added, "Most of the visas now being sent were already pending from before. If processing of new visas stalls again, the pace of deployment will slow."

He explained that the government had temporarily suspended immigration clearance cards, which blocked many existing visas and applications. "When the government reopened clearance on a limited scale, some workers could finally be deployed, reviving many old job demands, some dating back six to 12 months," he said.

Overreliance on Saudi labour market

Experts caution that Bangladesh's dependence on Saudi Arabia poses long-term risks.

"It's a bad sign for our future if we fail to reopen closed markets or explore new ones," said Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, former Secretary General of Baira.

Excluding Saudi Arabia, recruitment in traditional markets remains limited. In August, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore, Maldives, and the UAE were the top destinations—but recruitment numbers per country ranged only between 2,000 and 12,000.

Labour migration to Malaysia, Oman, and Bahrain remains mostly suspended.

At an event on 20 August, Expatriates' Welfare adviser Dr Asif Nazrul said, "The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare is working to open labour markets in new countries. We will not remain confined to the Middle East and the Gulf alone."

On Malaysia, he clarified, "Workers will be sent as per the agreement signed with the previous government."

On Japan, he was optimistic: "If progress continues properly, over 1 lakh workers could be sent to Japan within the next five years. One of our biggest problems is that the government does not conduct market research on labour demand. Even our foreign missions contribute very little. 

"We have improved this somewhat, and will leave a framework for the next government. Hopefully, within three years, Bangladesh will be able to send skilled, semi-skilled, seasonal, and permanent workers to new destinations."

BMET officials said that they are exploring new markets, especially to tap the potential in Eastern European countries. 

Regarding the Japan market, a top BMET official told TBS, "We have proposed a project to conduct training for workers aspiring to go to Japan. They will get free training if the project is approved and funded by Jica."

Recently, the expat ministry has show-caused a number of agencies who failed to send workers in Japan in the last six months.