Mainstreaming Migration into National Development Strategies

Migration and
Sixth Five Years Plan
in Bangladesh

Migration and Sixth Five Years Plan in Bangladesh: Reflection

andGapsinDevelopmentPoliciesandProgrammes

Md.MokhlesurRahman
DevelopmentResearcher
mrsagar76@gmail.com
September22,2013


ABSTRACT

Populationmigrationisnotarecentphenomenonindevelopingcountries,butrecentlyithas
gainedsignificantpolicyattention.InBangladesh,migrationconcernshavebeenincorporated
in different plans and polices. To identify how development plan and policies of Bangladesh
haveincorporatedmigrationconcerns,thisstudyreviewstheSixthFiveYearPlan(SFYP)2011
2015,NationalSkillsDevelopmentPolicy2011,PerspectivePlan20112021(Vision2021)and
MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) of Bangladesh. These policiesand plans have already
incorporated some directive initiatives which are positive signs and reflect the willingness of
key stakeholders to place migration as a priority national agenda. However, most plans and
policiesarenotguidedbyholisticmigrationplansandactivitiesrathertheyaredominatedby
adhoc based activities and priorities. Hence, the study identifies that a comprehensive
migrationmainstreaming approach is missing which should include (but not limit to) skills
development through improved education (including technical education) system, health
initiativestargetingmigrantsandtheirfamilies,andawarenessbuildingamongcommunitiesfor
useofregularmigrationchannelsalongwithmanyothers.Theapproachshouldalsoarticulate
methods for easy remittance flows and good investment opportunities in the home country
whichcanplayasignificantroleindevelopment.Thestudyconcludesthattheissues,concerns,
challengesdefinedintheOverseasEmploymentPolicy2013musthavestrongpresenceinthe
upcomingSeventhFiveYearPlan.

Page1of37

TableofContents
ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................................ 1
SECTIONONE:INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 3
1.1Background ..................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2BroadObjective: ............................................................................................................................. 6
1.3BroadResearchQuestion: .............................................................................................................. 6
1.4Methodology(data&methods,processandanalysis) .................................................................. 7
1.4.1Data&Methods:.......................................................................................................................... 7
1.4.2Process: ........................................................................................................................................ 7
1.4.3Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 7
1.5.ListofPolicies,PlansandOtherDocumentsReviewed ................................................................. 7
1.6AnalyticalFramework: .................................................................................................................... 8
SECTIONTWO:MIGRATIONandDEVELOPMENTGlobaltoLocalPerspective ................................... 10
2.1MigrationPolicyContext:GlobalPerspective .............................................................................. 10
2.2MigrationPolicyContext:BangladeshPerspective ...................................................................... 12
SECTIONTHREE:FINDINGS................................................................................................................. 14
3.1NationalSkillsDevelopmentPolicy2011: ................................................................................... 14
3.2SFYP&Vision2021: ...................................................................................................................... 16
3.3ScopeofBudgetingforSkillsDevelopmentforOverseasEmployment:TaleofTargetsand
PerformancesindifferentPlansofBangladesh.................................................................................. 19
3.4ResourcesAllocation,OverseasEmploymentandRemittances: ................................................. 22
3.5Plan,PoliciesandMigration:AmbitionversusFeasibility ............................................................ 25
3.6.MovingAhead:OverseasEmploymentPolicy2013 .................................................................... 26
SECTIONFOUR:ANALYSIS,DISCUSSIONANDCONCLUSION............................................................... 28
4.1Analysis: ........................................................................................................................................ 28
4.2Discussions: ................................................................................................................................... 30
4.3Recommendations: ....................................................................................................................... 31
4.4

Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 34

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SECTIONONE:INTRODUCTION

1.1Background
Inthedevelopingcountries,populationmigrationisnotarecentphenomenon.Intheearly21st
century,itbecametoppolicyagendainmanydevelopedanddevelopingcountries.Considering
roleofmigrationindevelopment,thecriticalobjectiveistomaximizethebenefitsandminimize
the risks of migration for migrants and their families. Policy initiatives can define a
comprehensive process for migration that promotes development and reduces poverty in
developingcountriesaswellashowmigrantsthemselvesmaybenefit(Skeldon,2005:15).
Migration,Remittances&PovertyAlleviationinBangladesh:PlanningandPolicyContext
In a recent study in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Vietnam and China, data shows that in
Bangladesh, some of 40% of rural households send adult members to seek work in towns. In
someareas,morethan80%ofhouseholdsincomewasderivedfromoutsidevillage.(ibid:21).
Buchenau (2008) in a recent study on Migration, Remittances and Poverty Alleviation in
BangladeshreportsthatinBangladeshafter1970s,labourmigrationhasbecomeastrategyfor
householdsurvivalformanyfamilies.Formigrantsaswellasfortheirfamilies,migrationcarries
highcostsandrisks,particularlybecauseamigrantsfamilylosesanimportantmemberofthe
household for an extended period of time. As data suggests each year thousands of
BangladeshismigratetotheMiddleEastandSouthAsiatowork.AccordingtotheBangladeshs
Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), 377,591 people left the country in
2006, an increase of 50% over the previous year, and this number has increased most years
after 2007. By 2012 the number of overseas workers reached 607, 798 (where UAE is the
highest as an individual country of destination and May as the month the highest number of

Page3of37

peoplemigrated).Similarly,JanuarytoJune2013,totalnumberofoverseasworkersis208,340
with79,858people(34%)migratingtoOman1.

InBangladesh,thepotentialcontributionofremittancesfrommigrantshasbeenacknowledged
by many national policies and planning. For example, theSixth Five Year Plan (FY 20112015)
endorsed that remittances sent by overseas workers to their families has a significant
development role in Bangladesh. The Plan also proscribes that the overseas employment
strategyshouldbestrengthened.Itfurtheraddedthatwhilethecurrentoverseasemployment
strategyfocusesonsendinglowskilledmanpower;thenewstrategywillfocusonsending
semiskilled and skilled manpower to existing as well as new destinations. The Plan also
indicatedthatprogramswillbeundertakentoimprovetheskillsbaseofthepeoplewhowishto
migrate2.

Similarly some poverty reduction strategy papers refer to the benefits of remittance from
migration, however many others portray migration negatively equating it with human
trafficking, loss of skilled professionals, health related problems and the spread of disease,
increased poverty or criminality. In establishing the linkage of migration with development,
policymakerstendtowardslawenforcementactivitiessuchascurbingirregularmigrationand
trafficking,strengtheningimmigrationandcustomsservicesratherthanfocusingonharnessing
beneficial effects like increased skills and knowledge as well as increased household income
levels from remittances. When the benefits of migration are recognized by critics, the focus
tendstobelimitedtoremittancesandonothereconomiceffects.3

http://www.bmet.org.bd/BMET/resources/statistics/18.jpg,retrievedonAugust19,2013.
GED,2011,FFYP20112015,Pp4
3
GlobalMigrationGroup,Pp17,MainstreamingMigrationintodevelopmentPlanning:AhandbookforPolicy
MakersandPractitioners
2

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Several migration related concerns have not been featured comprehensively in the
developmentplans(ibid).Theseare:

Lackofdataandindicatorsonmigrationisamajorprobleminmanycountries.

Lackofcapacityandexpertiseand/orfinancialresourcestounderstandandaddressthe
multipledimensionsofmigration,beyondeconomicdimensions.

Migration management is fragmented portfolio, often falling under responsibilities of

severalGovernmentdepartments.

Migration may not feature prominently in donor priorities resulting in funding

difficulties.

Migrationisacomplexcrosscuttingissue,bothpoliticallyandconceptuallychallenging,
whichmakesitdifficulttoformulateacoherentandcommonposition.

Lack of cooperation and dialogue between countries of origin and destination on

migrationanddevelopmentissues.

Migrationispoliticallysensitiveissueoftenleadingtobordermanagementandcontrol
rather development. Therefore, focus always goes to how border has been managed
and controlled. The potential of migration for development does not get adequate
politicalattentionratheroftenitgetsmisinterpreted.

Recent literature on migration suggests that despite the potential advantage of migration, it
hasrarelybeenacknowledgedindevelopmentplanningtools.Eveniflinksaremadebetween
migrationanddevelopment,itissurprisinglyconfinedtotheconceptuallevelratherthanthe
practical level. Sometimes even if it focuses on them it limits on international remittances to
developing countries rather focusing on the interlinkages between migration and
development. These financial flows include: money sent by individual migrant workers and
other members of diaspora communities to families/friends residing in countries of origin;
financialinvestmentsinhousingorbusiness;andeconomicsavingsinbanksinthecountryof

Page5of37

origin. Another form of remittances are charitable donations made by individual

migrants/migrantassociationsforcertainaidprojectsinthecountryoforigin.4

1.2BroadObjective:
ThestudyattemptstoanalyzethecurrentreflectionandgapsofmigrationissuesintheSFYP
andassessgapsonmigrationissuesinexistingdevelopmentpoliciesandprogrammes.

SpecificObjectives:
a) ToidentifyhowmigrationissueshavebeenreflectedintoSFYPofBangladesh.
b) ToidentifywhatarethegapsintheSFYPinregardtomigrationconcerns.
c)Tofindtheextentofmigrationissuesaretakenintoaccountinthedevelopment
policiesofBangladesh.
d) Towhatextentmigrationissuesaretakenintoaccountintodevelopmentprogrammes
ofBangladesh.

1.3BroadResearchQuestion:
TowhatextentmigrationsconcernsarebeenreflectedintheSFYP,developmentpolicies
andprogrammes?

SpecificResearchQuestions:
a) ToidentifyhowmigrationissueshavebeenreflectedintoSFYPofBangladesh?
b) ToidentifywhatarethegapsintheSFYPinregardtomigrationconcerns?
c)To find the extent of migration issues are taken into account in the development
policiesofBangladesh
d) Towhatextentmigrationissuesaretakenintoaccountintodevelopmentprogrammes
ofBangladesh

HigherInstituteofLabourStudies,KULeuven,Belgium).ThepositionPaperRemittancesandDevelopment,
SessionFiveA.URL.

Page6of37

1.4Methodology(data&methods,processandanalysis)
The research is qualitative in nature based on secondary data and information. Through a
systematic search, data and information have been compiled and the situation analyzed, to
answertheresearchquestionsthathavebeenset.

1.4.1Data&Methods:
Thestudyusespublishedinformationrelatedtomigration.Bothprintedandonlineresources
have been utilized. Moreover, it uses data generated by International Organization for
Migration (IOM), Global MigrationGroup and the Government of Bangladesh (Sixth Five Year
PlanandPerspectivePlan20112021inparticular).

1.4.2Process:
After identifying some common and essential methods of policy analysis, the study goes
throughtheSFYPstepbystep.Afteridentifyinghowmigrationissueshavebeenplacedintothe
Plan,gapsandchallengesareidentified.

1.4.3Analysis
Regarding method of data collection and analysis, Discourse Analysis (policy narratives in
particular) and thematic content analysis methods and approaches has been applied. In this
study,thediscourseanalysismethodhasbeenusedtoidentifyhowdevelopmentdiscoursehas
beenusedinvarietyofways,liketomeantalkingratherthandoing,diversionaryanddeceptive
language;aperspectiveratherthandescriptivestance(GasperandApthorpe1996).Thisstudy
analyzes how discourses around development policies and programmes contribute migration
concernsinthecontextofBangladesh.

1.5.ListofPolicies,PlansandOtherDocumentsReviewed

SixthFiveYearPlan(SFYP)20112015

NationalSkillsDevelopmentPolicy2011

PerspectivePlan20112021(Vision2021)
Page7of37

OverseasEmploymentPolicy2006and

OverseasEmploymentPolicy2013(FinalDraft)5and

MillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDGs)

1.6AnalyticalFramework:
In general, development planning goes through some basic stages which includes situation
assessment and analysis, identification of strategic goals and priorities, action/programme
planning, funding and capacity development, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
Thiscyclecanbedepictedbythefollowingdiagram:

StagesofDevelopmentPlanning

ThestudyappliesananalyticalframeworkdevelopedbyGlobalMigrationGroup(Pg22). The
framework comprises of six essential elements which are prerequisite for mainstreaming
migrationindevelopment.Therefore,anymainstreamingendeavorshouldstartbylookingat
thegroundworkinthefollowingareas:

AsofSeptember09,2013.AccessedonSeptember15,2013through
http://probashi.gov.bd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=29

Page8of37


I.

Strongpoliticalsupportathighlevel:Thisstrongpoliticalwilliscriticallyimportantto
moveMigrationforDevelopmentagendaforward.

II.

National ownership: The Government needs to be lead actor in the mainstreaming

processandgovernmentprioritiesmustbeprevailedovertheprioritiesofotheractors.

III.

Early involvement of key stakeholder: Key stakeholders such migrant community

groups, diaspora groups, civil society, academics, employers associations and
developmentpartners.Thepurposeistomakesurethatallstakeholdersarecommitted
partners in the mainstreaming process. Active engagement of stakeholders can offer
manythings,likedifferentperspectives,newinformationanddata,politicalandmoral
support and funding support. In ensuring successful mainstreaming, all these above
resourcesandactorsneedtobebroughttogether.

IV.

Asharedunderstandingofobjectives:Commonunderstandingtheobjectiveispivotal
toavoiddivergentagendasbeingpursued.Forestablishingandmaintaininganunified
agenda,aclearvision,transparencyandregulardialogueamongdifferentstakeholders
areessential.

V.

Broadbasedparticipationbasedonclearrolesandresponsibilities:Forensuringthat
duringtheprocessofmainstreaming,itisneithermonopolizedbyasinglegovernment
institution nor confined to few individuals, rather a broad spectrum of participation is
necessary.Therefore,totheprocesswillbemoresuccessfulifrolesandresponsibilities
ofdifferentactorsaredefined.

VI.

Keeptotiming:Inensuringnationallevelownership,sufficienttimeshouldbeprovided
for reflection and consensusbuilding. It needs to be realistic regarding timing at the
start of the process about how much time will be required for specific tasks. While
timing has been agreed upon, it would be important to make sure schedule is
maintainedaccordingly.

Thewholeanalysisofthisreportrelatestotheabovesixpoints.

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SECTIONTWO:MIGRATIONandDEVELOPMENTGlobaltoLocal
Perspective
2.1MigrationPolicyContext:GlobalPerspective
Recent literature on international migration suggests that emigration can influence economic
development of sending country in four interrelated ways. Firstly, international migration
allowsformoreefficientmatchingofinternationalsuppliesanddemandforlabour.Ithelpsto
improve efficiency internally. Secondly, emigrants tighten the conditions that characterize
sendingcountrylabourmarkets(evenoftenattheregionallevel,notthenationallevel)which
ultimatelyhelpstostrengthenbargainingpositionofthelabourthatremain.Thirdly,migrant
labour provides a large and dependable source of development capital in the form of
remittances.Finally,returningmigrantsbringcapital,skillsandaccesstomarketsthatbenefit
thesendingeconomy.However,theliteraturesalsostressonlackofsystematicanalysisofthe
effectofmigrationonsovereigntymaybeoneofthereasonsthatopenbordersareassociated
withchaos,politicallabelingandthedemiseofthedevelopedworldswelfarestates.Itisalso
mentioned that the little work which has been done in recent years is not directly related to
evaluating the political consequences of international migration. Rather, the work tends to
focus on how host countries control migration flows and evaluate their effectiveness. In
general,therearestudiesthatconsidermigrantsassurpluspooloflabourwhichispolitically
exploitativeinnature(Moses,2006:7880).

In line with the above four points, historic evidence seems to support that migration is an
important explanatory factors of economic growth in both the new and old worlds,
international migration can generate prosperity in both sending and receiving countries. The
skills,capitalandtechnologythataccompanytheselabourflowsalsohaveasignificantimpact
oneconomicgrowthratesinbothtypeofthecountry(ibid).

Page10of37

In a study titled Migration between Europe and South Asia: Impacts on development by
InstituteofPublicPolicyResearchUKfoundthatMigrationfromSouthAsiatoEuropehasbeen
andcontinuestobeanimportantphenomenon.ThereareestablishedSouthAsiancommunities
in most European countries and these are being added to by increasingly diverse flows of
people: asylum seekers, family members, highlyskilled professionals and even a new wave of
temporary,lowskilledworkers.Itmustbenotedthat,thoughimportant,SouthAsiatoEurope
flowsarelesssignificantthanotherSouthAsianmigrationflows.Thescaleofinternalmigration
(especiallywithinIndia),regionalmigration(e.g.fromBangladeshandNepalintoIndia),labour
migrationtothePersianGulf,andinternationalmigrationtotheNorthAmericaarealllikelyto
begreaterthancontemporaryflowstoEurope.Thatsaid,givenimportanthistoricallinks,the
likelihood of greater demand for migrants into Europe in the future, deep diasporic linkages
withSouthAsiancountries,andtheinterestshownbyEuropeanstatesinthisarea,migration
betweenSouthAsiaandEuropehasthepotentialtohaveimportantimpactsondevelopmentin
sendingcountries.6
InanotherstudybyBryan&Wetsstatedthat[o]fficiallyrecordedremittanceshavebecome
the second highest source of external funding for developing countriesahead of Official
Development Assistance (ODA), but following Foreign Direct Investments (Ratha 2005). Not
surprisingly, policy makers and academicians have been looking at remittances as a
developmenttoolfordevelopingcountries.Animportantdifferencebetweenremittancesand
ODAistheprivatenatureoftheformerfinancialflow.Themajorityofremittancesaresentby
individualstotheirfamiliesinthecountryoforigin.Furthermore,asthepoorestmembersof
society often lack the financial means to migrate abroad, they are less likely to have family
membersabroadwhowouldsendremittances.Internationalmigrationisacostlyventure(see,
forinstance,DeBruyn&Kuddus2005).Nevertheless,remittancescanhavedifferentlevelsof

retrievedonJune28,2013through
http://www.migrationdevelopment.org/fileadmin/data/conference/background_papers/en_Session_3_B_South_
AsiaEurope_final_01.pdf

Page11of37

bothpositiveandnegativeimpactonthedevelopmentofthecountryoforigin.Table1listsa
numberofthemostcitedconclusionsinresearchonthistopic.
Inthesamestudytheymentionedsomepossiblepositiveandnegativeimpactsofremittances
ondevelopmentofanycountry.Itbrieflyillustratesthatremittancehasimpacts(bothpositive
andnegative)atmicroeconomiclevel,community&regionallevelandhouseholdlevel.

Communit
yand
regional
level

Householdlevel

Macro
economic
level

Areaof
Impact

Table01:ImpactsofRemittances
Positiveimpactsofremittances
Negativeimpactofremittances

Strengtheningbalanceofpaymentby
provisionofforeignexchange
Remittancesarestableandcounter
cyclical

Allowingfamiliestomeetbasicneeds
Openingupofnewopportunitiesfor
investinginchildrenseducation,health
careetc.
Looseningofconstraintsinfamilybudget
toinvestinbusinessorsavings
Emergencyresources
Socialsecurityresourcesbase

Boostoflocaleconomy
Financinglocaldevelopmentprojects

Deteriorationofbalanceoftrade
bystimulationofimportand
appreciationoflocalcurrency
Deteriorationofthesocial
balance
Dependencyonremittancesand
neglectoflocalproductive
activitiesbyfamilies
Hardlyusedforproductive
investment

Increaseinequalitybetween
familieswhoreceiveremittances
andthosewhodonot
Inflation

2.2MigrationPolicyContext:BangladeshPerspective
In a study on internal migration and development, it has been cited that the landscape of
Bangladesh has changed significantly. Migration has been accepted as a major component of
peoples livelihood. However, the linkages between internal migration and development are
notupfront.Thereislackofdataonthemigrationandpovertyinterface;thestudyarguesthat
governmentpoliciescaninfluenceimpactofmigrationondevelopmentandpovertyreduction
(Afsar,2005).ThestudyconcludesthatinBangladeshlikemanyotherdevelopingcountries,the
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households of internal migrants in rural areas use remittances mainly for consumption. The
consumptionexpenditurealoneconstitutesbetween80%and90%oftheremittancesuse.Ina
country context like Bangladesh where half of rural households live below the poverty line,
consumptioncanbeviewedasconsistantwiththebasicneedsofdevelopmentsincewithout
thisremittance,thesituationofmigrantfamilieswouldbeworse.Itiscommonlyarguedthat
increased consumption expenditure by migrant household can accelerate investment, which
may create an income multiplier in migrantsource economies (Taylor, 1990 cited in Afsar,
2005).
InastudybyIOM(2010),itemphasizesthatBangladeshexperiencesmanytypesofhuman
mobility,bothinternalandinternational.Withintheinternationalmigration,therearethree
distincttrends:emigrationforsettlementtoEurope,AustraliaandNorthAmerica;contract
labourmigrationtoMiddleEasternandSouthAsiancountries;andthemovementofpeopleto
theborderareassuchasIndia.
The Global Migration Origin Database estimates that 6,832,522 Bangladeshis live abroad,
representinglessthan5%ofthetotalpopulationandlessthan10%ofthetotallabourforce.
Similarly, the Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) estimates
that5.8millionBangladeshiworkersareabroad,31%ofwhichareinSaudiArabiaand24%in
the UAE (IOM; 2010:2). The study also outlines the gendered consequences of recipients
annual household income. It identifies that gender plays an important role in household
income, remittances and dependency level. It further informs female migrants earn less and
therefore send less money back to home than their male counterparts. It is also noted that
families with female recipients have higher local household incomes and they are less
dependent on remittances. However, there is no policy initiative and analysis to unravel the
impactthisdifferentialhasondevelopment(ibid).

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SECTIONTHREE:FINDINGS

Thispartofthereporthasfivesubsections.Thefirstsectiondealswithhowmigrationissues
have been reflected in the National Skills Development Policy of 2011. The second section
focusedonhowmigrationissuesareincorporatedintheSFYPandPerspectivePlan20112021
(Vision 2021). In the third section, the growth targets and performance in different plans of
Bangladesh are analyzed. The fourth section explains how government resources have been
allocated,overseasemploymentlevelsandremittancesreceivedfrom1999to2009arebriefly
explained. The fifth and final section analyzes, in regard to ambition versus feasibility, the
migrationsissuesthatarereflectedinplansandpoliciesofBangladesh.

3.1NationalSkillsDevelopmentPolicy2011:
Differentreportshavemadeclearrecommendationsthattheskillsofmigrantworkersshould
be improved before leaving for overseas employment. A majority of Bangladeshi migrant
workers do manual work with low pay and low status. Thus, it is important to review the
NationalSkillsDevelopmentPolicy2011topointouthowmigrationandtheskillsdevelopment
concernsofmigratinglaborershavebeenaddressed.
IntheNationalSkillsDevelopmentPolicy2011,thereisaspecificfocusonskillsdevelopment
foroverseasemployment.
I.

The Policy acknowledges that increasing remittances from expatriate workers is

dependent on improved skills development in Bangladesh. In order to improve skills
development towards overseas employment, the new skills development system will
includethefollowing:

Assessandrespondtothedemandfordifferentcategoriesofskilledworkersin
majoroverseasmarkets;

Develop a coordinated and flexible recruitment and training strategy to service

thatdemand;
Page14of37

Develop a national qualification system against which skills certification of an

international standard can be made and communicated to overseas employees
andinternationalrecruitmentagencies;

Improve the capacity of training providers to deliver skills to the standard

requiredbyoverseasemployers;

Improve the regulations and quality assurance of training providers delivering

predeparturetraining;

Improve the employment outcomes of those who undertake skills training for
overseasemployment;and

II.

Engagewithreturningmigrantstoassessandcertifyhigherskillsgainedoverseas.

Initiativestostrengthenskillsdevelopmentformigrantworkerswillbeimprovedalong
with other governmental efforts to reform the education and training system in
Bangladesh.

III.

All training and trade testing centers targeting overseas workers will be required to
registerwithBTEB(BangladeshTechnicalEducationBoard)sothatskillsassessmentand
certification in these centers follows NTVQF (National Technical and Vocational
QualificationFramework)basedonnationalcompetencystandards,orwherepossible,
competencystandardsrecognizedinthecountriesofemployment.

IV.

Nationally recognized qualifications will be available to expatriate workers. Over time,

allmigratingworkerswillberequiredtohavequalificationsfromtheNTVQF,obtained
either through occupationspecific courses or through a Recognition of Prior Learning
(RPL) process at BTEB registered testing centers. To increase the number of qualified
expatriateworkers,RPLwillbeofferedinasystematicway.

V.

Overseas employers and governments will be made aware of the reforms to skills
training in Bangladesh so that overseas employers can more easily assess the
differencesbetweenskilledandlessskilledworkersandsothatexpatriateworkersgain
therecognitionandremunerationtheydeserveinoverseasmarkets.

VI.

Thereisarecognizedneedtoprovidecomprehensivepredepartureorientationtraining
formigrantworkersandtoestablishspecialgovernmentmigrationsupportservicesfor
Page15of37

safemigrationandimprovedlivelihoods.Thiswillensurethatinadditiontotradeskills,
expatriateworkersareadequatelypreparedforoverseasbyhavingaminimumlevelof
hostcountry language skills, so that they are better protected by being able to
understandandparticipateinhostcountryopportunities.
VII.

Careerandvocationalguidancethatprovidedetailsonkeyoverseaslabourmarketsand
occupationsindemandwillbemadeavailabletoparticipants.

VIII.

A system of ladderisation should be established similar to that in place in other Asia

countries.Underthescheme,returningworkerswillbeofferedanopportunityforskills
testing,skillsupgradingandskillscertificationatahigherlevelbeforereturningabroad.
The work, learn, train and certify process can be repeated in several cycles until after
someyearstheskilledworkerswillbeabletomoveintosupervisorypositions.Forthis
to occur, modularized competency based training should be delivered that leads to
certificationundertheNTVQF.

IX.

To increase resources available for skills training of expatriate workers, the Skills
Development Fund for Expatriate Workers announced in the Budget of the respective
yearwillbemadeoperational.

X.

Under guidance from the NSDC (National Skills Development Council), BMET will take
responsibility for ensuring a more coordinated approach to skills development for
expatriateworkers.Thismorecoordinatedapproachwillincludeanassessmentofhow
existingtraininginfrastructurecanbestbeutilizedtoservicetheoverseasdemandfor
skilledworkers.

XI.

The NSDC through BMET will also develop a strategy to increase the participation of
womeninskillsdevelopmentforoverseasemployment.

XII.

Aspirant overseas workers to be trained on skills under publicprivate partnership

programmes.

3.2SFYP&Vision2021:
While having made satisfactory progress in poverty reduction activities (particularly toward
reaching Millennium Development Goals), the Government of Bangladesh recognizes that
Page16of37

Bangladesh remains a low income developing country. Around 47 million people are living
below the poverty line. Most of the labour force of the country is engaged in informal low
productivityandlowincomejobs.Thepoorareseverelydisadvantaged,andtheydonothave
accesstoresourcesandbasicservicessuchaseducation,healthcare,orwaterandsanitation.In
this context, Government of Bangladesh has recently devised the Perspective Plan covering
2010 to 2021 aimed at implementing its Vision 2021 goals. As described in the Outline
PerspectivePlanofBangladesh2010to2021(makingVisionaReality),thekeysissuesofthe
Vision2021associatedwiththisPlanare:
[t]he development perspective envisages to achieving, in the coming days, a prosperous
progressivenationinwhichfoodandenergysecurityshallprevailwithdrasticreductionof
povertyandalowlevelunemployment.Theperspectivealsoincludesgreatstridesinhuman
development including health and nutrition, effective population control, progress in all
levels of education, primary, secondary and tertiary in addition to commendable
improvementinscienceandtechnologyalongwithgreatachievementinICT.Infrastructure
development will improve integrated multimodal transport encompassing railways, roads
and inland water transport having connectivity with our neighbors. In other words, the
developmentperspectiveimpliesthesimultaneousfulfillmentofeconomicandsocialrights
of the people alongside civil and political rights. For this to happen strong links between
economicgrowthintheonehand,andexpansionofemploymentopportunities,reductionof
poverty,expansionofdemocracyandempowerment,consolidationofculturalidentityand
protection of environment with its freshness for the next generation on the other will be
established.7

ThePerspectivePlanhas12specificdevelopmentgoalswhichbroadlydefineallimportant
concernsrelatedtobecomingamiddleincomecountryin2021.Amongthese12goals,fourare
directlyassociatedwithmigrationconcerns.Theseareasfollows:

Promotinggoodgovernanceandcurbingcorruption

Promotingsustainablehumandevelopment

Ref.SFYP20112015,Pp19

Page17of37

Addressingglobalizationandregionalcooperationchallenges

BuildingdigitalBangladesh

Iftheabovefourdevelopmentgoalsaremadefunctional,thentoagreatextentthesewill
facilitateasafemigrationandcontributetotheeconomicandoveralldevelopmentofthe
country.
In addition, the Perspective Plan also identifies strategic directions and provides a broad
outlines for the course of action to make the Vision 2021 a reality. This outline leaves
considerablespacefortheSFYP(20112015)andSeventhFiveYearPlan(20162020)towork
outfunctionaldetailsofhowthecountryshouldmoveforward.Anumberofcoretargetshave
beenidentifiedtomonitorprogressoftheSFYP.Thesecoretargetsareinlinewiththevision
and objective of the Perspective Plan. The core targets set for monitoring fall under seven
broadcategories:
a) Incomeandpoverty
b) Humanresourcedevelopment
c) Waterandsanitation
d) Energyandinfrastructure
e) Genderequalityandempowerment
f) Environmentsustainability
g) Informationandcommunicationtechnology(ICT)

UndertheIncomeandPovertycategory,therearefivespecifictargetswhichareasfollows:
a. AttainingaveragerealGDPgrowthrateof7.3%peryearovertheplannedperiod
b. Reductionintheheadcountpovertyrationbyabout10percentagepoints
c. Creating good jobs for the large pool of underemployed and new labour force
entrants by increasing the share of employment in the industrial sector from 17
percentto25percent
d. Increasingthecontributionoffactorproductivityineconomicgrowthto10percent
Page18of37

e. Overseasemploymentofskilledlabourtobeincreasedfrom35%to50%.

3.3ScopeofBudgetingforSkillsDevelopmentforOverseasEmployment:Taleof
TargetsandPerformancesindifferentPlansofBangladesh
ImplementationoftheNationalSkillsDevelopmentPolicy2011andothermigrationinitiatives
to increase overseas employment of skilled labour requires significant budget allocation.
Adequate budget allocation will only be possible if targeted growth is achieved accordingly.
Thus, it is important to revisit the growth targets and analyze with previous performance to
unveil how likely to achieve those targets and resolve or develop migrations issues and
concerns.
Thus,inthispartofthereport,differentplansandassociatedplannedandactualgrowthare
analyzed.
Table01:GrowthPerformanceofBangladeshintheFiveYearsPlans8
SL

PlanPeriod

AnnualAverageGrowth
Target
(%)

Actual
(%)

Gap(%)

1.

FirstFiveYearPlan(FY7378)

5.5

4.0

1.5

2.

TwoYearPlan(FY78FY80)

5.6

3.5

2.1

3.

SecondFiveYearPlan(FY80FY85)

5.4

3.8

1.6

4.

ThirdFiveYearPlan(FY85FY90)

5.4

3.8

1.6

5.

FourthFiveYearPlan(FY90FY95)

5.0

4.2

0.8

6.

FifthFiveYearPlan(FY972002)

7.0

5.1

1.9

Average

5.65

4.1

1.58

Theabovetable(01)illustratesthatoverall(averageof6plans;tillFFYP)growthtargetwas
5.65%whereactualachievementis4.1%,thisindicatesanaveragegap1.58%.

ThetablehasbeenreproducedfromtheoriginaltableofBBS(citedinSFYP,Pp12).

Page19of37

Eventhereisnospecifictrendingapofannualaveragegrowth;howeverinactualgrowth,it
isseenthatafter1978(afterthephaseofFirstFiveYearPlan),theannualgrowthhasbeen
steadilyincreasing,aspresentedbelowinChart1.

Intheabove,itisshownthatonlyFY19972002hasachievedmorethan5%GDPgrowth.
Moreover,thechartalsoillustratesthatduring198090,theannualgrowthwasstagnant.

Gender
Equality
and
Women
Empower

Production,IncomeGenerationand
Poverty

Table02:SFYPandTargets
Targets

20052010

SFYP2015

Vision2021

1) Real Income Growth

(%)
2) Head Count Poverty
(%)
3) Industrial
Sector
Employment(%)
4) Contribution
of
Productivity
to
EconomicGrowth(%)
5) Overseas employment
ofskilledlabour
1) Ratioofgirlstoboysin
tertiaryeducation(%)
2) Ratio
of
literate
femalestomales

6.1

8.0

10

31.5

22

14

17

25

30

10

20

35

50

20

32

60

85

100

Page20of37

3) Female
overseas
employmentrate

5%

10%

20%

Inthepreviousparagraph,itwasshownthattheaverageactualgrowthis4.1%,butinthe
SFYP, it is planned 8% which is bit ambitious. Similarly, Vision 2021 pursues to help
Bangladeshattainmiddleincomecountryby2021.Itsetstargetsofreaching8%growthby
FY15 (at the end of SFYP) and 10% by FY21. Its associated structural change target is to
increasesharefrom30%inFY10to40%inFY21,andemploymentshare14%to25%over
theperiod.Thesearebrieflyas;

RaisingtheshareofmanufacturingsectorinGDPtoover20%by2015

Increasingtheemploymentshareofmanufacturingsectorto15%byFY15

However, this would be challenging to achieve. The ability to adequately allocated

resourcesbasedonthishighambitiousgrowthisunclear.
TheemploymentchallengeinBangladeshistocreatehighproductivity,highearningjobs.
The employment level planned is to be achieved by moving from low productivity
agricultureandinformalworktowardshigherproductivityjobsinmanufacturingandformal
services.Certainly,thisrequiresalongtermprocessandtheSFYPwillputeffortstobring
changeinthestructureofgrowthandemployment.
The SFYP (Pp. 46) also acknowledges that the growth and employment experience of
Bangladeshandrelatedinternationalexperienceshaveanumberofimportantlessonsthat
would guide the formulation of the strategies to realize the targets for vision 2021. The
importantlessonsareasfollows:

TherisinggrowthrateinBangladeshhasbeenunderpinnedbygrowingratesofnational
savings and investment. For increasing the pace of the growth requires additional
investmentandsavings.

HighergrowthinBangladeshhasbenefittedfromarisinglabourforcebothduetothe
demographictransitionofahighershareofworkingpopulationandanincreasinglabour
Page21of37

force participation rate of the female labour. Higher growth would be achievable by
encouraging more female participation in the labour force and enabling them to
undertakegainfulemploymentandstayinthelabourmarket.

Whilethehighergrowthratewillrequirehigherratesofinvestment,growthalsobenefit
from improvement in total factor productivity. It means productivity of both labor and
capitalwhichcanberaisedthroughamixofpolicyandinstitutionalreforms.

The sectoral composition of growth has to change in favour of a much higher share of
modernmanufacturingandorganizedservicestocreateamorerapidexpansionofgood
jobs.

The employment responsiveness of growth in manufacturing needs to increase to

absorbmorelabour.

Theaverageproductivityofallsectors,butspeciallyagriculture,hastogrowtoprovide
betterreturnstolabour.

Economic growth, employment and investment respond to policy and institutional

reforms. Many good policies have helped increase private saving and investment rates
and supported growth. However, there are many other reforms that remain to be
implemented in the areas of infrastructure, business deregulation, trade reforms,
financial sector reforms, tax policies, information technology, education and training
which all have bearing for growth and employment by improving incentives, reducing
costandraisingproductivity.

3.4ResourcesAllocation,OverseasEmploymentandRemittances:
This part of the report deals with how resources have been allocated in the SFYP, trend of
employmentabroadandremittancesreceivedinthelasttenyears.

Page22of37

TrendinNumberofEmploymentAbroad:

Theabovechart(Chart2)indicatesthatnumberofoverseasworkersgraduallyincreasedsince
200001(195)till200506.After2005until2008,itsteadilyincreasedandin2008itreachedto
apeakof875,000.Againafter2008,ithadgradualfalltotill2011.However,in2012,itshowsa
recoveryasithasreachedto607,000.
RemittancesinDifferentFiscalYear:
ThefollowingChart3presentsremittancesreceivedbyBangladeshduringdifferentfiscalyears.
In table 2, we have seen that there were fluctuations in trend of number of employments
abroad.After200809,ithadadrasticallyfall.Inanormalsituation,thisfallsuggeststoassume
afallinremittancesaswell.Incontrast,duringthisperiodremittanceshadasteadyprogressas
it is seen that after 2001, it has been increasing gradually. And in 2012, total remittance
receivedbyBangladeshis14,163Million10.(Pleaseseechart3belowfordetails).

9
http://www.bmet.org.bd/BMET/resources/statistics/18.jpgretrievedonAugust18,2013
10

http://www.bmet.org.bd/BMET/resources/statistics/18.jpg,retrievedonAugust19,2013

Page23of37

11

Thus,inthecontextofBangladesh,itcannotbereachedtoalinerconclusionthatnumberof
overseasemploymentandremittancesreceivedarepositivelylinkedtoeachother.Thisimplies
thathavingfewernumberofjobsabroadcouldsecurebetterremittances.Actually,itdepends
onmanyotherexternalpolicyenvironments,suchastheskillsectoroftheoverseasworkers.
AllocationofDevelopmentresourcesforLabourandManpowerinSFYP
ItisimportantforBangladeshthatevenhavingafallinoverseasemployment;theamountof
remittances received by Bangladesh has continued to increase. This increase indicates that
more allocations for labour and manpower will generate proportionately high amount of
remittances. Notably, this sustainable growth in remittance gives strength to think positively
aboutthehighgrowthtargetsindifferentgovernmentplans.Moreover,inthefollowing(Chart
4), it is seen that Government of Bangladesh has put more budgetary effort in the SFYP on
Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) and the Ministry of
LabourandEmployment.After2013,allocationsforbothministrieswillmoveforwardequally.

11

http://www.bmet.org.bd/BMET/resources/statistics/18.jpg,retrievedonAugust19,2013

Page24of37

12

3.5Plan,PoliciesandMigration:AmbitionversusFeasibility
It is good to find many positive elements in the National Skills Development Policy 2011. It
focusesondevelopingskillsofthemigrants.However,theapproacheshavebeentakenforthis
maynotbeachievablesincetheprivatesectorhasnotbeeninvolvedintheprocessalthough
they have tremendous potential/capacity to impact skills development. Moreover, only
regulatoryapproachoftendoesnotworkwhenmultistakeholdersareinvolvedinaprocess.
The policies13 have strong focus on capacity building of the migrants. Having enhanced skills
wouldfacilitatemigrantstogetgoodandhighpaidjobs.Highpaid,skilledjobswillbringmore
remittancestocountry.Thus,itisreallyimportantinitiative.However,thementionedpolicies
have not considered that migrants family and society as whole have strong role in ensuring
safe migration. The roles and responsibilities often cannot be performed by the family and
societyduetolackofinformationandunderstating.Thislackofinformationandunderstanding
includes what to do before sending family member to abroad and whom to communicate to
validatevisaorworkpermitorevenifthemigrantfallsintraporproblem.

12
13

Ref:DatahavebeentakenfromSFYP,Part2,Pp346
Underanalysisofthisstudy

Page25of37

The growth capacity of Bangladesh has been underachieved due to political turmoil and
inconsistencyofpolicypriorityanddirection.Rather,problemshavebeengettingmultifaced
forms, thus the high growth oriented all plans might not be achievable. However, multiplier
approach for remittance owner and migrants family member could be initiated for better
utilizingidlemoney.Thiscanaccelerateeconomicgrowth.

3.6.MovingAhead:OverseasEmploymentPolicy201314
Recently,GovernmentofBangladeshhasinitiatedtoreviseTheOverseasEmploymentPolicy
2006.TheresultingOverseasEmploymentActandPolicy2013havebeendraftedandready
to place to the cabinet for approval. The revised act and policy extensively acknowledge the
contributionofmigrantworkerstothenationaleconomy.
BriefcomparisononOverseasEmploymentPolicy2006&2013
OverseasEmploymentPolicy2006

OverseasEmploymentPolicy2013

Context

There was no policy for making and

managing migrations sector as dynamic and
vibrant, better management of remittances
and safety and welfare of the migrant
workers. Thus, Overseas Employment Policy
2006wasenacted.

In the national and international arena,

there is significant progress which
demands a revisit the policy that was
enactedin2006.

Objective

Area

Broadly to expanding overseas labour Ithassixinterrelatedobjectives.Firstof

market,havingbetterdisciplineinthesector such is creating overseas employment
andwelfareofmigrantsworkers.
opportunityformenandwomensothat
theycanworkindependentlywithsafety
and dignity. The last objective is
introducing an efficient and integrated
managementstructuretobettermanage
labourmigration.

14

AsofSeptember09,2013,thePolicyisinFinalDraftformandyettobeapprovedbytheCabinet,thusinthe
backgroundpapertheanalysishasbeenkepttolimitedkeyaspects.

Page26of37

Focus

Thefocusofthepolicywasmentionedunder
the section of implementation activities
(article5).Theseareasfollows;
Ensuringrightsoftheemigrants
Maintainingnewmarketsandexploring
newmarkets
Humanresourcesdevelopment
Recruitmentprocessing
Welfareoftheemigrants
Channeling remittance through legal
process and investment of the
remittance
Economic and social integration of
returnees

The Policy has seven sections where six

ofthemhavedealtwithissues,concerns
and policy direction in the following
areas:

Private sector
(recruiting
agency)

Promoting and ensuring safe

migration
Protection of migrant workers and
theirfamilymembers
Benefitsandwelfareofthemigrant
workers
Migrationofwomenworkers
Integrationofmigrationtonational
development
Labourmigrationgovernance
Outofthe16specificobjectives,two(4.10& Scope of private sector engagement
4.16) directly encouraged engagement (for limits to be part of the consultation
recruitment, exploring markets, sending processfordevelopingpolicydirectives.
moreskilledlabourandoverallmanagement)
oftheprivatesector.

In each of the above section, the policy identifies issues, challenges and also relevant policy
direction to manage those issues and challenges. For example, under the promoting and
ensuringsafemigration,thepolicy(Pp17)emphasizesonqualityanddemanddriventechnical
educationandskillstrainingformigrantworkersthroughtechnicaltrainingcentre,vocational
training centre and other educations institutions. It has also been pointed out that skill
diversification needs to be in strategic priority as in the future demand in big cities of the
developed world will be around health, education housing, telecommunication and other
servicesector.

Page27of37

SECTIONFOUR:ANALYSIS,DISCUSSIONANDCONCLUSION

ThisSectionisbuiltonanalysisofthefindingsandthenlinkedupwiththerelevantliteratures.
Thediscussionpartisfollowedbysomerecommendations.
4.1Analysis:
Government of Bangladesh has been positive in regard to dealing with migration issues and
concerns. Since after inception in 2001, Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas
Employment(MOEWOE)hasbeenworkingforensuringwelfareoftheexpatriateworkersand
enhancementoftheoverseasemployment.Recently,Governmenthasinitiatedtoreviewthe
overseas employment policy which was active since 2006. Besides reviewing the policy,
Government has also been working to send workers directly through Government to
Governmentagreements.Inaddition,thestrategicprioritytosendsemiskillsandskillsworkers
isprovingvaluablesinceearlyfindingsillustratedthatwhilethenumberofexpatriateworkers
decreased (Chart 1; p24), the amount of remittance was increased. These issues evidently
proved that migration has been getting strong support at the high level. Moreover, data and
informationalsoindicatethatkeystakeholdersareinvolvedindifferentpolicyformulationsand
dialoguesthataffectandcanshapemigrantsbenefitsandwelfare.However,sendingworkers
tooverseasmarketthroughprivatesectorhasbeenignored.
TheanalysisisdrawnuponfindingspresentedinSectionThree.
MigrationConcernsinNationalSkillsDevelopmentPolicy2011:Dominatedbyregulatory
approaches
The policy includes important components such as needs assessment and predeparture
orientationofmigratingworkers.Italsofoundthattherewillbebudgetavailableforsuchskills
training. Moreover, the Policy indicates that it was widely consulted. Consequently, it
potentiallyensuresownershipofthekeystakeholdersinthesector.However,thepolicywas
found to have some limitations which could essentially confine the skills development
Page28of37

ambitions of the nation and migrating workers in particular. Firstly, in regard to skills
development for overseas employment, the whole focus of this initiative seems to be
dominated by a regulatory approach rather than a participatory ownership one. Secondly,
awarenessamongfamilyleftathomecountryandmigratingworkerhim/herselfismissing.This
isverycrucialfornegotiatingwithemployersandmaintainingpropercommunicationwithback
home. Thirdly, the training to develop skills of overseas workers under publicprivate
partnership approach puts things uncertain since this approach still rhetorically sounds good
butyettoproveaseffective.
MigrationinSFYPandPerspectivePlan:
The Perspective Plan rightly includes economic and social rights of the people alongside with
civil and political rights. In addition, promoting good governance and curbing corruption has
beenaddedasadevelopmentgoal.Thisaddition,certainlywillcontributetobetterbenefitsof
the migrating workers since due to rampant corruption in most spheres of the society, poor
people who wish to migrate for a job need to pay lot of additional money than the amount
stipulatedbythegovernmentwhichincreasestheircostofmigration.Oneofthesevenbroad
categoriesformonitoringprogressofSFYPishumanresourcedevelopment.Thisisimpressive
inclusion which seemingly will allow analysis of human development perspectives. However,
bothofthePlans(SFYPandPerspectivePlans)buildonsomenarrationswhicharediscursively
produced and have less implication in practice. For an example, firstly, promoting good
governance and curbing corruption is mentioned by almost all social and political actors but
limited initiative they take to do so. Secondly, while average achieved GDP growth of
Bangladesh is 4.1%, having a target of 7.3% per year essentially requires a comprehensive
development approach where state machineries along with political actors are driven by a
strong vision which is almost impossible in a bipolar country like Bangladesh. Thirdly,
increasing overseas employment of skilled labour to 50% requires many accredited technical
andvocationalinstituteinthecountryintheonehand.Ontheother,italsorequiresexploring
andnegotiationskillsoftheGovernmentforidentifyingopportunitiesinnewmarketsandget
inintothosemarkets.
Page29of37

Skillsdevelopmenthasbeenlookedatdifferentareaforintervention.Thus,differentinitiatives
havebeenmadetoenhancetheskillsofthemigrantspeople.Incontrast,itneedstobelooked
an area of incorporation in different system (like training, education, information
dissemination).
HighGrowthTargets:
Both the Plans (SFYP and Prospective Plan) show some ambitious growth rate. In comparing
withgrowthachievementsoflast42years,thefactsandfigurethatcameup,isnotpromising
anyway.SimilarlythePlansdonotconsiderthatadditionalgrowthrequiresadditionalsavings
andinvestment.Forhavinghighsavings,thehightargetcouldbeachievedthroughastabilized
economic situation as well as by ensuring asset building possibilities for recipients and
migrants. IOM (2010) mentioned a number of initiatives of Government of Bangladesh like
ranges of financial incentives on migrants to invest in the home country, specifically the U.S.
Premium Dollar Bond and NonResident Foreign Currency Deposit. However, results showed
thatmigrantaccountownershipissignificantlylowandassetownershipissignificantlylimited.
Thereisnoevidencethatcanprovethattheseinstrumentsarebeensystematicallyutilizedby
the migrants. This limitation indicates that technical assistance is important to identify the
financial products people need and the institutions and location from which people can get
access to. In addition, there should be a mechanism to reach out the population who need
theseproducts.

4.2Discussions:
Basedontheabovefindings,thestudydrawssomekeypolicyissues.Firstly,existingliteratures
andmanypolicydocumentsoftenoverlooktheimportantrolethatmigrationhasbeenplayed
recently in reducing rural poverty. In contrast to the conventional knowledge which often
consider permanent migration as a hindrance to rural development. Because of, they believe
thatittransfersruralresourcestourbanareas.Actually,migrationexpandsrurallandsandrural
marketsbymakingmorerurallandavailablefortenancy.Migrationandtheshiftoftherural
Page30of37

labourforcetononfarmoccupationshavecreatedlabourshortagewhichultimatelyfacilitated
mechanization of agriculture. Secondly, remittances from internal migrations are generating
bothdirectandindirectbenefitswithshortterm,longtermandmultipliereffectsonpoverty
alleviation, regional development and the overall development of the country. Thirdly,
Governmentsstrategyforpovertyalleviationhascompletelyignoredthespatialandregional
dimensionsfordevelopment.Foranexample,thecoastalregionmadeimpressiveprogressin
poverty alleviation, and migration has been a great contributor, behind it. In contrast, flood
proneregionsandthosewithfavorableecosystemsmustbegivenpriorityattentioninorderto
improve labour productivity and provide greater scope for occupational mobility (Siddiqui;
2005:63).
However,thenewOEP2013(finaldraft)hascapturedmostoftheconcernsmentionedabove.
ThePolicyhasclearlystatedthatatpresentthecontributionofremittanceinthenationalGDP
is 11%. Similarly, in the first three years of SFYP, the national annual employment target has
been achieved with 28% contribution of the overseas employment. In addition to that, the
Policy has also mentioned how remittance through labour migration contributes to the
education and health facilities of the family members. Furthermore, the Policy noted that
remittancethroughoverseasemploymenthasbeengreatlycontributingtothedevelopmentof
agriculture,housingandjointownershipbasedbusinesssector.15

4.3Recommendations:
Based on the above data and brief analysis, the paper likes to put forward the following
recommendations
Inclusionofissues,challengesandpolicydirections(ofOEP2013)inSeventhFiveYearPlan:In
the new OEP 2013 (draft) has been rightly mentioned issues, challenges and some policy

15

OverseasEmploymentPolicy2013,Pp.48.

Page31of37

directionsintheareasofpromotingandensuringsafemigration,protectionofmigrantworkers
and their family members, benefits and welfare of themigrant workers, migration of women
workers, integration of migration to national development and Labour migration governance.
TheseissuesshouldbeadequatelyreflectedandresourcedintheupcomingSeventhFiveYear
PlanofBangladesh.
Facilitating and resourcing for some longbenefiting area and actions: Similarly, it is also
importanttohaveintegration(intoSeventhFiveYearPlan)ofdifferentprioritiesmentionedin
theOEP2013.Fewofsuchprioritiesare;

Developingmarketresearchunitonmigration

Developingandfunctioningmigrationinformationsystem

FacilitatinglabourMigrationForum

Labourdiplomacyforsafemigrationandcreatingnewmarket

The first and second will produce better data, information on demand of expatriate workers
trendofthemarketswithdirectionhowtorespondtothosedemand.Thethirdandfourthwill
enablesafemigrationandcreatenewmarkets.Therefore,theseissuesneedtobeincludedin
thenationallevelpolicydocument.

Comprehensiveskillstraining:AcomprehensiveapproachismissingintheNSDP.Formeeting
theskillsgapandenteringintonewmarkets,providingtrainingadhocbasismayworkfortime
being,butmustnotbelongbenefiting.Thus,wellconnectedcomprehensiveapproachforskills
development would be essential. This could be started by incorporating more contents on
migration concerns at different level of schooling and formal training. Moreover, more
technical and vocational education needs to be promoted for those want to migrate abroad.
Thesetrainingshouldhavenationalandinternationallevelaccreditation.
Awareness building of the society: Awareness building is a very important aspect of safe
migration, in fact this has been acknowledged and well captured by the new Policy (OEP
2013:2331).Thisneedstobeensuredandimplemented.IntheruralBangladesh,formigration
Page32of37

peoplechannelorcommunicatethroughlocalbrokerwhooftencheatanddonothelptoget
the right information. Thus, migrants lives are jeopardized due to lack of information and
awarenessaboutwhattodoandwhomtocontact.Thus,sessionsshouldbeorganizedregularly
for prospective migrants. It is also important to make sure everybody gets the right message
fromthiskindoforientation.Afterwards,migrantsfamilyneedtobesensitizedandbuildtheir
awarenessaswell.Sinceincertainmomentfamilyhassignificantroletoensuresafemigration
andboostupeconomicdevelopmentbyremittancesreceived.Hence,thepolicyshouldguide
howtobuildawarenessonmigrationinthecommunity.
Negotiating with host countries: Having ensured skills of the migrants and sensitization to
familymembersofthemigrants,itmaynottranslateintoasafeandsecurelifeabroad.Thus,
negotiation with host country needs to be regularly done and continuous efforts have to be
made to improve work condition, better pay and security abroad. This can only be achieved
throughmakingawareofthemigrantsconditionandimprovingrelationsandnegotiationwith
the host country. Having this done, appropriate negotiation approaches need to be included
intodifferentPlans,PoliciesandstrategiesofBangladesh.
Smoothandeasyremittanceflow:Inlinewiththeaboveskillsandawarenessconcerns,itis
alsoimportantforsendingcountrytofacilitatemigrantssothattheysendtheirearningeasily.
Failureofsuchmayresultillegalchannelingofmoneywhichgoestoblackmoneyandcouldnot
be counted in the national accounting system. Hence, it is important that the system and
processencouragepeopletosendtheirearningthroughproperchannel,andchargesmustbe
less. Thus, existing relevant Policy should include this concern, alternatively separate Policy
couldbeenactedtopromoteproperchannelingofremittance.
Assetbuildingandinvestmentenvironment:Similarly,itisalsoimportanttocreatefavorable
environmentbythesendingcountrysothatmigrantsgetencouragedtoinvestintheirhome
country.Ifremittancesareinvestedbythemigrants,thenmorejobopportunitywillbecreated.
Morejobscreationwillessentiallycontributetothepovertyalleviationanddevelopmentofthe
country. Thus, different Plans and Policies (for example investment in Small and Medium
Page33of37

Enterprise) of the Government should consider how to attract remittances for investment at
thelocallevel.

4.4 Conclusion
Migrants play a significant role in earning remittance for the country which is the one of the
foundations of the economy. In addition, migrant workers also bring skills and knowledge
gained abroad. Consequently, remittances coupled with skills and knowledge from overseas
accelerateseconomicactivitiesandrunsthewheeloftheeconomicandoveralldevelopmentof
thecountry.Inmostcases,thesepeoplemigratetoabroadtohaveajobastheycouldnotget
somethinggoodintheirowncountry.Thus,managingajobabroadisseenasalternativeoption
for many peoples livelihood. Doing so, sometime they jeopardize their life abroad by taking
high risks (being illegal or doing not eligible job). Most of the times, they do not get support
fromanyagency(governmentornongovernmental)tosolvetheproblem.
The Government of Bangladesh has been very ambitious of promoting migration of skilled
labour. The National Skills Development Policy 2011 has incorporated migration concerns.
However,itlacksforappropriateapproach.GovernmentaloneinBangladeshcannotaddressall
concernsofthemigrationissue.Privaterecruitingagenciesneedtobeinvolvedintheprocess.
Sincetheyhavebeenworkingforalongtimeandtheirexperiencescouldbecapitalized.Thus,
bothprivaterecruitingagenciesandGovernmentofBangladeshneedtoworktogether.
However,situationhasbeenimproving.Differentliteraturesonmigrationhaveacknowledged
theroleofremittancesearnedbymigrantworkersandoverallcontributiontodevelopment.In
addition to that, Government of Bangladesh has incorporated manymigrations concerns into
differentstrategicplansandpolicies.Thisiscertainlyagoodsteptointegratemigrationissues
intonationalpriorities.
Besides better acknowledgement, it is also important to build integration into different Plan,
PolicesandProgrammesofGovernmentofBangladesh.Mostimportantly,afterenactmentof
thewiththeOverseasEmploymentPolicy2013,toadoptthechangesandprioritiesallrelevant
PoliciesandProgrammesneedtoberevisedinlinewithit.
Page34of37

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