KSA to reopen labour market after 7 years:Daily Star

After a seven-year ban on manpower recruitment from Bangladesh, the Saudi Arabian government has decided to open its labour market for Bangladeshi jobseekers soon.  “The Saudi government has agreed to resume the recruitment of our people in all its sectors after our discussion with them,” Shahidul Islam, ambassador of Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh told The Daily Star over the phone yesterday. The c
ountry's overall manpower export started declining significantly after the Saudi government imposed a ban on the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh in 2008. The Saudi authorities then brought allegations of anomalies in the recruitment process. Around one lakh Bangladeshis used to migrate to Saudi Arabia every year before the restriction. Only a few Bangladeshis could obtain labour visas for cleaning jobs in the Kingdom before, the Bangladesh envoy said, adding that Bangladeshis will now be able to get visas for all sectors, including construction and services. After meeting with Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Labour Minister Adel Fakeih said his country was interested in hiring skilled manpower from Bangladesh. Describing the Saudi minister's announcement as a “vital diplomatic success”, the Bangladesh envoy hoped that jobseekers would now get handsome salaries and other facilities after taking jobs there. Advertisement “The Saudi minister assured us of circulating a formal announcement of lifting the ban by next week,” Shahidul added. After meeting with the expatriates' welfare minister, the Saudi labour minister had underscored the need for a transparent mechanism of the recruitment process with online verification by all parties involved. The Saudi minister also emphasised that prospective workers to the Kingdom should undergo orientation programmes back home in addition to earning skills in their profession. Khandker Mosharraf, who is currently visiting the KSA, mentioned that the ministry has a database which has registered more than 2.2 million foreign job seekers. “These workers have undergone the necessary training for their respective profession,” he said, pointing out that the skilled workers were also sent to Malaysia, South Korea and Hong Kong.