1 lakh jobless migrants return in one month
Over one lakh Bangladeshi workers returned home jobless in one month amid the outbreak of novel coronavirus globally, according to a government estimate.
Expatriates welfare and overseas employment ministry officials told New Age that about two lakh Bangladeshi migrant workers came back home from February 26 to March 26 half of whom are jobless.
The official said that the government kept repatriating 2,000 Bangladeshi nationals who were mostly tourists and pilgrims stranded at different countries by some chartered flights amid suspension of commercial flights.
The EWOE officials said that a large number of Bangladeshi migrants became jobless in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Maldives due to economic rescission.
Besides, many Bangladeshi migrants in European countries became jobless due to corona outbreak, they said.
On Thursday, an inter-ministerial meeting was held at the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment with its minister Imran Ahmad in the chair.
After the meeting, Imran Ahmad said that the Middle Eastern countries have been affected by economic downturn because of oil prices slump.
About one lakh workers came back home jobless in one month, he said, adding that Bangladeshi migrant workers have been terminated frequently there.
The EWOE hinted that there were more workers awaiting deportation from ME countries and the government has been preparing for their repatriation.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and state minister for foreign affairs M Shahriar Alam were present at the inter-ministerial meeting.
According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, over 1.20 crore Bangladeshi migrants are working in 170 countries and they send about $ 16 billion remittance annually.
Of them, about 80 per cent were employed in the gulf and East Asian countries, said BMET officials.
News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net
