Malaysia reopens labour market for Bangladeshis, others to follow soon: Minister
Bangladesh expects labour markets in Japan, South Korea, Oman, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia to reopen in the near future, he said.
Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury has said Malaysia has reopened its labour market for Bangladeshi workers and several other overseas destinations, including key Middle Eastern countries, are expected to follow soon.
"Malaysia reopened its labour market yesterday. The Middle Eastern markets will also reopen very soon," the minister told reporters after meeting US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen at the Sylhet Circuit House yesterday.
He said Bangladesh also expects labour markets in Japan, South Korea, Oman, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia to reopen in the near future.
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Ariful Haque said his meeting with the US ambassador focused on Bangladesh-US relations, economic cooperation and the development of the Sylhet region.
The two sides discussed Sylhet's development, bilateral trade and investment, and the contribution of Bangladeshi expatriates living in the United States, he said.
The meeting was attended by Labour and Employment Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafder, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Pinki Saha and other senior officials.
Earlier in the day, Ambassador Christensen met Commerce, Industries, Textiles and Jute Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir in Sylhet.
They discussed prospects for increasing US investment in the Sylhet region, expanding bilateral trade and strengthening economic cooperation, alongside the contribution of the Bangladeshi diaspora in the US.
Speaking after the meeting, the commerce minister said the discussions also covered Sylhet's cultural heritage, tourism potential and opportunities to accelerate the region's development by leveraging US technological expertise.
He expressed hope that such engagements would further deepen Bangladesh-US friendship, strengthen people-to-people ties and promote greater economic cooperation.
The ambassador later held a separate meeting with Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury before visiting several of the city's landmarks, including the historic Keane Bridge, Ali Amjad's Clock and the Chandnighat area.
Meanwhile, in an interview with BSS, State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Haque said the government has set a target of creating overseas employment opportunities for one crore Bangladeshis over the next five years through labour market diversification, large-scale skills development, lower migration costs, and digitalisation of migration services.
"Our election pledge is to create one crore overseas jobs in five years. We have already started working towards that goal," he said.
According to the state minister, the ministry has collected demand forecasts from Bangladesh missions abroad identifying requirements for nearly 1.15 crore foreign workers.
