& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Labour migration in slow lane

SAJJADUR Rahman
Migration, both in professional and skilled labour categories, has long been declining, according to government data.
labour migration in the professional category was nearly 5 percent in 2000, which dropped to almost zero -- 0.19 percent - at the end of 2008, while the intake of skilled labour declined to 33 percent in 2008 from 45 percent in 2000, the Bangladesh Economic Review revealed last week.
On the other hand, low-skilled (mostly unskilled) manpower exports rose to 52 percent in 2008 from 38 percent in 2000.
Although Bangladesh has been registering phenomenal growth in semi- and unskilled-labour exports for the past years, there was no initiative to explore job opportunities for skilled workers and professionals.
"The migration of professionals from Bangladesh was always low. We have sent nearly 300 teachers and doctors to Libya and Botswana in the past three months,” said Masud Ahmed, director general of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), yesterday.
However, government statistics show Bangladesh sent out 10,669 professionals in 2000, 14,450 in 2002 and 19,107 in 2004. The number started declining in 2005 and stood at only 925 in 2006, 676 in 2007 and slightly increased to 1,664 in 2008.
Manpower outflow peaked in 2007 with 8,32,609 workers. The number again rose to 8,75,055 in 2008. Overseas employment, a key to economic development, has also been instrumental in reducing local unemployment and boosting remittances.
In 2008, the country earned nearly $9 billion in remittances. However, these figures pale into insignificance beside foreign exchange earnings by the Philippines, India and Mexico.
India earned $45 billion in remittances in 2008, which was $27 billion in 2007. The Philippines received $33 billion in remittances in 2008. Mexicans working in the US alone remitted $25 billion in 2008 back home.
CR Abrar, a migration expert, said the nursing and hospitality industries have huge demand for overseas employment, and Bangladesh can increase remittance income manifold by sendingout its nationals in these categories.
“Unfortunately, there is no such initiative to develop people for those lucrative overseas jobs," said Abrar.
He said the government should take immediate steps to allow the private sector to set up institutes to produce skilled nurses.
In some countries, there are special training centres and facilities for the locals who wish to go abroad for jobs under skilled categories, like nursing. The Philippines has even set up a minihospital, fitted with equipment, just like in the US, to train nurses, so that the trainees can easily adjust themselves to the new environment.
sajjad@thedailystar.net