Manpower export to exceed 10 lakh this year: Minister

Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc has said the manpower export of the country will exceed 10 lakh this year.
He said the manpower export is on the rise as country's international job market is expanding day by day.
"We have exported some people to Russia responding to their requirement. The market for Bangladesh workers in the Middle East countries will reopen soon. The government of Japan has also agreed to import workers from Bangladesh as it had earlier signed a MoC (memorandum of cooperation). The procedure will be finalized by this month, the Minister said while addressing a press conference in his Ministry on Sunday.
The press conference was arranged to brief media about the preparations for observing the International Migrants Day to be observed today (Monday).
At the press conference, the Minister elaborated his Ministry's achievements in the last one year and the programmes taken up to observe the International Migrants Day. This year's slogan of the day is 'Safe Migration, Sustainable Development'.
The theme of this year's day is: "Safe Migration in a World on the Move".
On December 4, 2000, the UN General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed December 18 as the International Migrants Day.
The Ministry and its subordinate bodies like Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), and Bangladesh Overseas Employment Services Limited (BOESL) have taken up various programmes, including rally, view exchange meeting, seminar and discussion, in observance of the day.
A discussion will be held at 9:30am at Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka today (Monday). Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal will attend the programme as chief guest while State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, and Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Expatriate Welfare Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun will be special guests with Expatriate Welfare Minister Nurul Islam BSc in the chair.
The minister in his speech said over 9.73 lakh workers have been employed abroad as of now this year. "Of them, female workers accounted for 1.18 lakh," he said, expressing the hope that number will exceed 10 lakh at the end of the year.

According to Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE), a total of 33,122 Bangladeshi migrant workers died aboard in the last 13 years since 2005.
Of them, the bodies of 3,154 workers were brought home in the last 11 months of the current year, it said.
Some 11,291,181 Bangladeshis went abroad for work from 1976 to October this year, the organisaiton said in a press release.
He said most of the workers, around 5.62 lakh in number, went to Saudi Arabia this year. Replying to a question, the minister said the ministry received only nine complaints of female workers, who were abused in destination countries in the current year. We have already attended all of the cases."
The minister said his ministry is exploring new destinations for manpower export. A study to explore new markets in 52 courtiers is almost completed, he added.
Earlier, the minister inaugurated a day care centre on the ninth floor of the ministry for the children of the expatriate families. He also inaugurated three hotline numbers (01784333333, 01794333333 and 02-9334888 ) so that family members can enquire of the expatriates.