By Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo

DHAKA, Jan 01, 2026 (BSS) – The overseas employment sector witnessed a significant boom last year as expatriates sent about $32,816.87 million in remittances from January to December 2025.

According to Bangladesh Bank, the country received a total of $33.33 billion in expatriate income in the 2024–25 fiscal year, while the previous fiscal year, 2023–24, recorded $23.91 billion.

“The government has taken a realistic plan to send workers abroad with employment opportunities and remains committed to their welfare,” Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul said recently.

He said expatriates are one of the key driving forces of the national economy.

Bangladesh Bank data showed that from July to December 29, 2025, expatriates sent $16,079 million in remittances, compared to $13,658 million during the same period of the previous fiscal year.

Experts from workers’ rights groups said Bangladesh signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia for sending workers, marking the first such agreement in the 50-year history of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

They also said multi-visa arrangements have been made for Bangladeshi expatriate workers in Malaysia, while voting rights for expatriates were ensured for the first time.

Bangladesh has been witnessing a growing trend in remittance inflows since December last year due to multiple factors.

These include a narrowing gap between official and informal exchange rates and a crackdown on money laundering, a private bank official said.

A BMET official said a total of 752,715 Bangladeshi nationals went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for jobs last year, while Qatar received 107,472 overseas job seekers. Besides, Singapore and Kuwait received 70,056 and 72,717 Bangladeshi job seekers respectively.

“We have been working to increase the number of overseas migrant workers as well as to ensure their rights and protection,” he said.

The government has explored new destinations, including Russia, Brunei Darussalam and Eastern Europe, for skilled and semi-skilled workers, he added.
Besides, the government has introduced various training programmes for nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers to develop skilled and semi-skilled manpower for overseas employment.

Job seekers usually receive training in areas including shipbuilding engineering, refrigeration and air-conditioning, general mechanics, electrical machine maintenance, AutoCAD 2D and 3D, welding (6G), catering, masonry, and foreign languages such as Korean, Arabic, Cantonese and Japanese, among others.