The government has set a target of creating overseas employment opportunities for one crore Bangladeshis over the next five years through labour market diversification, large-scale skills development, lower migration costs, digitalisation of migration services and expanded welfare programmes for migrant workers, State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Haque said.
He said the government aims to make overseas migration more transparent, affordable and skills-based while reducing the country's dependence on traditional labour markets in the Middle East.
According to the state minister, the ministry has already collected labour demand forecasts from Bangladesh missions abroad and identified requirements for nearly 1.15 crore foreign workers, providing a strong foundation for achieving the target.
"Our task now is to prepare skilled manpower and connect them with those overseas opportunities. I believe we will be able to achieve the target within five years while making the migration process more systematic," he said.
Currently, around 11 to 12 lakh Bangladeshis migrate abroad for employment every year. Nurul said the government plans to gradually increase that number by producing a larger pool of skilled workers.
The state minister said the government's migration reform strategy is built on four key priorities: simplifying migration procedures, reducing migration costs, developing skilled manpower and strengthening welfare services for expatriate workers.
"We want migrant workers to receive all necessary services from a single point. Our objective is to reduce harassment, simplify procedures and make migration easier for ordinary people," he said.
He said the government is preparing to introduce country-specific migration cost structures to lower workers' expenses before departure, while shifting its focus from low-skilled migration to skills-based overseas employment.
To meet rapidly evolving global labour market demands, the ministry is modernising all 110 Technical Training Centres (TTCs) across the country to produce internationally competitive workers.
"Without skills, it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure jobs or remain competitive abroad. That is why skills development has become our highest priority," Nurul said.
Bangladesh is also developing a digital database of trained workers that will allow overseas employers to recruit candidates directly according to their occupational requirements.
"If a country requires 10,000 shipbuilding workers or trained female caregivers, employers will be able to search our database and immediately identify workers with the required qualifications," he said.
To reduce Bangladesh's heavy reliance on the Middle East, the government is expanding labour market access in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, where demand for skilled workers is expected to grow.
Nurul said Bangladesh has already signed labour agreements with several countries and is continuing negotiations with others.
He said Europe and the Asia-Pacific region are expected to become major destinations for Bangladeshi workers as demographic changes and technological advances continue to create demand for skilled labour. Training programmes are now being tailored to meet country-specific labour market requirements.
On Japan, the state minister said Bangladesh's agreement to send one lakh workers remains on track, although recruitment is progressing gradually.
"Japan is evaluating the performance, discipline and work culture of Bangladeshi workers before expanding recruitment on a larger scale. Once confidence is established, recruitment will accelerate," he said.
Expressing optimism over the reopening of Malaysia's labour market, Nurul said Bangladesh and Malaysia had reached a policy-level understanding to introduce a transparent, near-zero-cost recruitment system aimed at eliminating worker exploitation and excessive migration costs.
A Malaysian delegation is expected to visit Bangladesh soon, after which the two countries' Joint Working Committee will revise the existing memorandum of understanding, he added.
The state minister said both sides were committed to reducing the role of intermediaries, ensuring fair recruitment practices and preventing the exploitation of migrant workers. The initiative is in line with recent Bangladesh-Malaysia discussions on technology-driven recruitment and lowering migration costs.
Alongside labour market expansion, the government is rolling out a series of welfare initiatives for migrant workers.
These include introducing a digital Probashi Card containing personal information, banking facilities and QR code-based verification, as well as digitising overseas employment services so that migration clearance and document submission can be completed online.
The government is also considering establishing a dedicated hospital for expatriate workers, a Skill Investment Park, housing projects and a Probashi City to encourage returning migrants to invest in Bangladesh.
Nurul said scholarship programmes for the children of expatriates, financial assistance for injured returnee workers and rehabilitation support for distressed migrants, particularly women, would continue.
"Our objective is not simply to send more workers abroad, but to ensure they migrate safely, work with dignity and receive proper support throughout their migration journey," he said.