ABSTRACT
International migration plays a vital role in the national economy of Bangladesh. The oil price hike in the early 1970s and concomitant infrastructural development projects in the Gulf States created major demand for short-term contract workers, mostly from South Asia. Bangladesh has been an important source country of such workers. In the mid-1970s, workers were sent under the government initiative. With sharp increase in demand for workers, the private sector began to play an important role in facilitating the recruitment process in Bangladesh. In due course, migrants deployed in the countries of destination became an important source of procurement of demand through their personal contacts with employers. The Bureau of Manpower and Training (BMET) data inform that work permits secured through individual efforts constitute almost 60 per cent of the total from Bangladesh. A number of legislative and institutional initiatives have been under-
taken to streamline labour migration from Bangladesh, particularly the recruitment process. This chapter looks into various challenges that Bangladesh faces in areas of labour recruitment for overseas employment. It begins with an appreciation of the importance of the sector to Bangladesh’s economy. It then traces the trends and patterns of flow from the country. In the next section, the chapter deals with various legislative and institutional measures so far have been undertaken under successive governments to govern the sector. The final part deals with several challenges pertaining to labour recruitment in Bangladesh.
