Dhaka, Bangladesh (Commonwealth Union)_ According to a recent analysis by the World Bank, the rising number of Bangladeshis seeking employment abroad highlights that overseas migration from the country may soon exceed pre-COVID levels. Almost 600,000 citizens registered for employment abroad in the first half of this year, but the overall number of migrants in 2021 was 617,000. In the five years preceding COVID-19, the yearly average number of Bangladeshis seeking employment abroad was around 750,000.
In addition, according to a recently released paper titled ‘Coping with Shocks: Migration and the Road to Resilience’, the recovery of international migration is considerably greater in Bangladesh than in other South Asian nations. However, a report on international work permits released in the first half of 2022 indicates that, apart from Bangladesh, Pakistan’s migratory flow may also exceed that of the pre-pandemic era.
In the period from January to June of this year, almost 400 000 citizens applied for employment abroad. In 2021, this number was 240,000, a decrease of 63% compared to the yearly average of around 657,000 during the five years preceding COVID-19. In the meantime, nearly 100,000 Sri Lankans applied for jobs abroad in 2021, which was more than double the number compared to the previous year. Prior to the 2019 coronavirus outbreak, the data indicates that around 41.2 million South Asians lived outside of their native country.
In some nations like Nepal and Sri Lanka, around 10 percent of the population is interested in international jobs. Moreover, the data indicates that Bangladeshi migrant workers paid an average of over $3,000 to relocate overseas prior to the pandemic. It also notes that migration exposes South Asians to a variety of dangers due to the insecure labor market conditions faced by impoverished migrant workers. For instance, in the Gulf Cooperation Council nations, which are the most popular overseas work destinations for South Asians, the legal status of migrants depends on their temporary positions in low-skill areas.
