By Mostak Ahmad

DHAKA, Aug 27, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Md. Nurul Hoque, MP, has said the government has taken various initiatives to open new labour markets, expand existing ones, send skilled workers abroad and establish the rights and dignity of expatriate Bangladeshis.

He made the remarks today in an interview with Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) on the six-month activities and future plans of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.

Mentioning that a large number of Bangladeshis are employed abroad, the state minister said the government has taken various initiatives to establish the rights and dignity of these expatriates, protect their assets and ensure their economic security, as well as to build a safe and orderly migration system.

He said initiatives have also been taken to open new labour markets, expand the existing markets, send skilled workers, increase the scope of services for expatriates through Bangladesh missions abroad and maintain strict vigilance to prevent fraud.

The state minister said many activities of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, like those of other ministries, cannot be made visible within a very short period. He said opening new labour markets requires bilateral meetings with different countries, multiple follow-up meetings, memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and completion of related processes, which take time. 

As a result, although the benefits of many initiatives taken over the past six months are yet to become visible, their practical results will be seen in the coming days, he said.

“We have to complete various formalities, including bilateral meetings, follow-up meetings and MoUs, in the countries where we are working to open labour markets. It takes time. From that perspective, many activities may not have become visible in six months. But their benefits will be seen ahead,” he said.

Md. Nurul Hoque mentioned the reopening of Malaysia’s labour market as one of the government’s major achievements over the past six months.

Highlighting that Malaysia is one of Bangladesh’s major labour markets outside the Middle East as a single country, he said an official announcement on opening the country’s labour market came through the prime minister’s visit and workers from Bangladesh will start going there from the beginning of next month.

The state minister said the reopening of Malaysia’s labour market would create new opportunities for Bangladeshi jobseekers. 

There had been various complications in sending workers to Malaysia for a long time, he said, adding that a way to overcome those complications has been created through the government’s diplomatic efforts and high-level discussions.

Nurul Hoque said the trend of Bangladeshi workers going to Dubai had declined considerably since 2012. However, employment opportunities are now being created there again and new possibilities have also emerged in Dubai’s labour market, he said.

A company named Dubai Taxi has expressed interest in recruiting around 6,000 drivers from Bangladesh within this year, he said, adding that if the initiative is implemented, a large number of skilled and trained Bangladeshi drivers will get opportunities for employment abroad.

The state minister said the government’s goal is not merely to send a large number of workers abroad in terms of numbers, but to ensure suitable employment according to their skills. This will enable workers to earn better incomes and also increase the amount of remittances sent to the country through legal channels, he said.

He also revealed discussions are also progressing with Qatar on expanding Bangladesh’s labour market there. 

Referring to the visit of Qatar’s labour minister to Bangladesh, the state minister said Qatar has expressed interest in recruiting workers from Bangladesh in electrical, air-conditioning and other specific technical sectors.

He said initiatives are being taken to increase training capacity by renovating and modernising five institutions in Bangladesh according to Qatar’s requirements. Skilled workers will be trained in the relevant sectors at these institutions and arrangements will be made for their recruitment from there, he said.

Saying that the government is placing special emphasis on producing skilled workers, Md. Nurul Hoque noted there is no longer the same demand for unskilled workers in foreign labour markets as before. 

Therefore, one of the government’s key goals will be to train workers in the country according to the types of workers required by different countries and send them abroad, he added.

The state minister also expressed hope regarding Saudi Arabia’s labour market, saying an invitation had come from Saudi Arabia for the Prime Minister to visit the country. The government hopes that the prime minister’s visit will open new opportunities for Bangladeshi workers there, he said.

Referring to Saudi Arabia’s several major international events scheduled over the next few years, he said a large number of workers will be needed there around various major international events and projects, including the football World Cup. 

Employment opportunities may emerge in construction, transport, services, tourism, technology and other sectors, he added.

The state minister said receiving an invitation from the Saudi Crown Prince for the prime minister’s visit is important. If the prime minister’s visit takes place, high-level discussions will be possible not only on expanding the labour market but also on the rights and facilities of Bangladeshi workers, he opined.

He said discussions are also underway to reopen Bahrain’s labour market, which has remained closed for a long time. He said bilateral discussions have been held with Bahrain and it is hoped that progress will be made towards reopening the market through a ministerial-level visit.

Nurul Hoque said initiatives have also been taken to create new labour markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

He said efforts are underway to increase opportunities for Bangladeshi students and workers to go to Japan, while the process of reaching an understanding and holding discussions with Thailand is at the final stage.

According to the state minister, if Thailand’s labour market is formally opened, it could create employment opportunities there for a large number of Bangladeshis. 

He also noted that the regional situation has created additional demand for workers in various sectors in Thailand.

He said one of the government’s most humane initiatives for expatriates is bringing back the body of Bangladeshi citizen to the country after their death, at government expense. 

He said action is being taken on the applications received by the ministry since he took charge.

He said the government has instructed the concerned Bangladesh missions to make arrangements to bring back the bodies of expatriates to the country free of cost. Importance is being given to ensuring that when a Bangladeshi working abroad dies, the family does not become helpless due to financial and administrative complications, he said.

The state minister said the necessary infrastructure for transporting the bodies of expatriates after their return from abroad has also been expanded. He said there were previously three ambulances and freezing facilities, and two more have been added since he took charge.

He said it is the government’s moral responsibility to ensure that the bodies of expatriates are delivered to their families quickly and with dignity. Initiatives will be taken to increase capacity as necessary in the future to make the system more effective, he said.

Md. Nurul Hoque said the introduction of the “Probashi Card” is one of the government’s major initiatives to establish the rights and dignity of expatriates.

He said, in line with the government’s election pledge, expatriates will be provided with the cards next month by linking them with banking and payment gateways to establish their rights and dignity, protect their assets and ensure their economic security.

The state minister said expatriates will receive priority in 11 special services through the card. He hopes this will reduce the time and harassment faced by Bangladeshi citizens living abroad in accessing various government services.

“We believe this will, to some extent, help uphold the dignity of expatriates more than before,” he said.

The state minister also said the Probashi Card would be linked with a digital app. Through this, it will be possible to track which country an expatriate is staying in and whether he or she has applied to the embassy or ministry for any service.

Md. Nurul Hoque said an update on whether an expatriate has received a service after seeking it will also be stored in the digital system. As a result, if any application remains pending for a long time, it will be possible to identify it and take necessary action, he said.

He said new instructions have also been issued regarding the services provided by Bangladesh embassies abroad.

Mentioning that the government has equal responsibility towards every Bangladeshi citizen living abroad, he said regardless of their profession, income or social status, it must be ensured that they receive services when needed. 

The current government is placing special emphasis, alongside conventional diplomacy, on “cultural diplomacy” and “labour migration diplomacy”, he said.

The state minister said verification of demand letters or worker requisition documents has been made stricter to prevent fraud in sending workers abroad.

He said the concerned Bangladesh missions have been instructed to conduct on-the-spot inspections and submit reports on whether the companies seeking to recruit workers from Bangladesh actually exist, the working environment there and what kinds of opportunities are available for Bangladeshi workers.

The state minister said the government is taking a strict stance to ensure that no kind of fraud or syndicate in the name of labour markets causes harm to expatriate workers.

Md. Nurul Hoque said the government’s goal is to establish a safe, orderly and dignified migration system. 

Alongside exploring new labour markets, he said, the rights and facilities of Bangladeshi workers in existing markets will be ensured. 

At the same time, initiatives will continue to further increase their contribution to the country’s economy through skills development, digital services, accountability of embassies and protection of expatriates’ assets.

He expressed hope that the practical results of various initiatives taken during the government’s first six months would become visible soon. Alongside opening new labour markets, further progress would be made in establishing the rights and dignity of Bangladeshis working abroad, he said.