Editorial
Shrinking manpower export market
Well-thought-out action plan need of the hour
SINCE January up until now, the statistics for returnee Bangladeshi wage earners make a rather bleak reading, if not a panicky one as yet.
As against around 16,000 returnees in January, the figure for February declined to 8,000 but in March it has registered a steep rise. Aside from 4,000 returning until March 16, only a day earlier, Malaysia had cancelled 55,000 work visas for Bangladesh.
What ought to be the parameters of risk assessment? The first thing to note is it's not only the serving employees with contracts for work who are having to return but also the future prospects in traditional labour markets are coming to crunch. The outlook, by most radical estimates, is likely to last at least till the end of 2009 with the financial meltdown barely improving not until the first quarter of 2010. That is the scenario we have to address.
Only a timely action plan that is targeted and implemented vigorously can help us head off further blows to the remittance prospects. In fact, the crisis could turn out to be an opportunity provided we have the eyes to see and cash in on it.
The first thrust of the action plan will have to be the retention of jobs held by Bangladeshis through state-level intercessions. In this context, the reported assurance of the Malaysian authorities of a positive result by March in the matter of revoking cancellation of 55,000 work visas for Bangladeshis must come true.
The second and most important element of the action plan ought to be a campaign for new market search. There is an entire range of untapped potential in East Europe, Africa and even Latin America. In particular, Rumania and Sudan are said to be on our radar screen followed by Iraq which had been a destination for our workers up until the war came and is now opening up.
The overarching need is to create a reservoir of workforce, primarily in the skilled category to feed the demands in the developed as well as emerging markets. Their demand pattern is changing and those in charge of training manpower should also change their focus accordingly.
As for the returnees, while we look for their reemployment overseas, the concurrent effort must be made for their rehabilitation in the local economy as far as practicable. They should not be allowed to rust. Those who have had some savings may be encouraged to set up business, possibly with a little bank-rolling, while micro-finance is provided to others devoid of seed money.
Rather than heaving sighs and moans, let's go for an action plan rightaway.
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