Bangladeshi migrants face uncertainty as Mideast war disrupts jobs, wages: RMMRU
Citing Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) data, RMMRU said due to the war, the outgoing worker flow had already decreased by 50% in March compared to the same month last year.
Bangladeshi migrant workers in the Gulf region are facing growing uncertainty over jobs, safety, and future migration prospects because of the ongoing Middle East conflict, according to The Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU).
The prolonged conflict could destabilise the labour markets and threaten employment opportunities for millions of Bangladeshis working in the region, it warned at a press conference at the National Press Club today (13 May).
The platform, which works with migrants and refugees, organised the conference on the impact of the Middle East war in Bangladesh.
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The government has taken initiatives to bring back migrants from war-hit areas, including Iran, but their reintegration at home remains largely overlooked, said RMMRU founding chair Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, speaking at the press conference.
She urged the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment to include migrant-related crisis management measures in the upcoming budget and allocate funds from the revenue budget instead of the Wage Earners' Welfare Board fund, which is financed by migrant workers' own contributions.
"At least 5,000 Bangladeshis have already lost their jobs in Lebanon. Saudi companies have also reduced their workforce," said Dr Mohammad Rashed Alam Bhuiyan, associate professor of Political Science at Dhaka University.
"Workers are facing wage cuts, wage theft and rising inflation in Gulf countries since the conflict began," he added.
Dr Mohammad Jalal Uddin Shikder, a migration expert from North South University, said Bangladesh lacks a real-time monitoring system to track stranded migrants, cancelled flights and returnee flows from conflict-hit areas.
He also noted the absence of a publicly communicated coordinated response plan, conflict-specific reintegration programmes, and emergency support systems for workers stranded abroad without income.
Md Abdullah, a migrant worker who returned from Iran to Cumilla, said his family borrowed Tk5 lakh to send him to Iran around one and a half years ago.
"As the war continued to escalate, the sound of missiles created panic and it was impossible to sleep at night," he said.
Expressing gratitude to the government for bringing him back to the country, he said, "Now, if the government doesn't help, the debt won't be repaid."
"The lenders are now putting pressure on my family. I urge the government to support workers who lost jobs because of the conflict," he said.
Criticising the government for lacking a comprehensive crisis response mechanism for migrant workers affected by war and regional instability, the platform, in a written statement, said there is no dedicated emergency fund for workers who lose jobs, suffer injuries, or are forced to return home.
Citing Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training data, the organisation said overseas migration from Bangladesh declined by nearly 50% in March compared to the same month a year earlier due to the conflict and uncertainty in the Gulf region.
At least 11 Bangladeshis have been killed in Gulf countries, while nearly 200 Bangladeshis have returned from Iran since the war began. Many of them are now struggling with debt and unemployment, according to the RMMRU.
The organisation recommended establishing special migrant crisis response cells at Bangladeshi embassies in Gulf countries, launching 24/7 Bangla-language hotlines, and introducing WhatsApp- and SMS-based crisis alert systems.
Around 50 lakh Bangladeshis currently work in the Middle East and contributed more than $15 billion in remittances last year, accounting for over 46% of Bangladesh's total remittance inflow, according to data presented at the event.
RMMRU further urged the government to diversify overseas labour markets by expanding recruitment opportunities in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, East Asia and Africa to reduce Bangladesh's dependence on Gulf countries in the coming years.
