Govt to send 1 crore skilled workers abroad in 5 years

The government has set an ambitious target to send 10 million skilled workers abroad over the next five years, aiming to boost overseas employment and strengthen the country’s remittance inflow.

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury announced the plan in Parliament on Thursday, outlining a comprehensive strategy focused on skills development, market expansion, and safer migration.

To support the initiative, the ministry is currently providing training through 110 institutions, including 104 Technical Training Centres (TTCs) and six Institutes of Marine Technology (IMTs).

In these institutions ,55 short- and long-term employment-oriented trades and courses are offered to prepare workers for global labour markets.

The minister said the action plan, aligned with the government’s election manifesto, aims to build a competitive workforce, overcome language barriers, and expand and sustain Bangladesh’s overseas job markets.

He also emphasised measures to ensure safe, orderly, and cost-effective migration, alongside efforts to curb fraud by brokers and middlemen.

To enhance transparency and efficiency, the government has introduced the Overseas Employment Platform (OEP), a digital system designed to streamline migration services.

The platform supports trainee registration, training monitoring, certification, verification of demand letters and visas, and the issuance of emigration clearance, enabling faster deployment of workers.

“The OEP has significantly reduced the influence of intermediaries and will further strengthen accountability in migration management,” the minister said.

In addition, the government has enacted the Foreign Employment and Migrants (Recruiting Agent Licence, Sub-agent Registration and Code of Conduct) Rules, 2025, bringing recruitment intermediaries under a formal legal framework.

District and upazila-level migration coordination committees have also been formed nationwide to oversee implementation and improve service delivery at the grassroots level.

Officials said the combined measures are expected to create more opportunities for overseas employment while ensuring greater protection and transparency for migrant workers.