Skills for the international labour market: Bangladesh country report Part of a multi-country labour market trend analysis for migrant workers from South Asia to the member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf

International labour migration contributes to the Bangladesh economy both in terms of addressing the unemployment and underemployment and helping to keep foreign currency reserves stable through remittances. The labour migration trend in Bangladesh is characterized by an outflow of low- and semi-skilled workers. These workers are concentrated in short-term and low wage employment. The jobseekers’ registration based on the international occupational classification is urgent to enable comparability of skill levels with the countries of destination. There is also a need to align training and assessment with the Bangladesh National Technical and Vocational Qualifications Frameworks. Investment in awareness about living and working abroad is required. Outreach services are required to expand the use and benefit of the ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ to both outgoing and returning migrant workers and to build career trajectories of those workers who can afford only a few weeks to a few months-long technical training. Undeniably, there is a need for greater coordination of efforts in terms of developing workers’ skills and improving governance of overseas employment recruitment, in particular, job-matching.