October 05, 2026
Honourable Ariful Haque Chowdhury, MP
Minister, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Subject: Proposal for safer, cheaper and broker-free overseas employment for Bangladeshis
Honourable Minister,
Voice for Global Bangladeshi (VfGB) respectfully submits a few proposals to make overseas employment safer, cheaper and easier for ordinary Bangladeshis to access. Our main concern is simple: for a person who wants to work abroad, the government system should be easier, cheaper and more trustworthy than a broker. And the State’s responsibility should not end when the worker leaves Bangladesh; it should continue after arrival in the destination country.
We respectfully suggest the following steps:
1. Make our missions active job finders.
Expanding overseas employment is one of the most effective ways to increase foreign-exchange earnings. Our missions should therefore not wait for jobs to come to them. They should actively seek out employers who need workers, build relationships with industry associations, identify labour shortages and open new markets for Bangladeshi workers. Every worker placed in a decent overseas job creates opportunity at home while generating a continuing flow of remittances. BOESL and G2G recruitment should therefore be strengthened, and major missions should have dedicated labour-market development teams.
At the same time, the system must be protected from recruitment syndicates, conflicts of interest and collusion that can inflate migration costs and exploit workers. Mission and Ministry officials involved in recruitment should be required to declare relevant conflicts of interest, be subject to appropriate rotation and accountability, and face firm action where misconduct is established. Where missions engage local labour-market or recruitment consultants, they should be independently vetted, free from conflicting financial interests with recruiting agencies, and appointed through transparent, performance-based contracts.
Our missions should not merely process overseas employment; they should actively help create it, while ensuring that the process remains transparent, competitive and free from vested interests.
2. Build one open and transparent system.
Every verified job should clearly show the work, salary, required skills, contract terms and maximum permissible migration cost. Foreign employers should also have a simple way to recruit verified Bangladeshi workers directly.
3. Close the gap at the local level.
Workers in every district and upazila should be able to obtain registration, job information, training, documentation assistance, contract verification and migration finance through an accessible one-stop system. This would greatly reduce dependence on brokers.
4. Make every payment traceable.
Every recruitment-related payment should be received and digitally recorded. Those who illegally overcharge workers should face effective penalties, including licence action, with compensation to affected workers where appropriate.
5. Train workers for jobs that actually exist.
Training should match overseas labour-market demand, including technical trades, caregiving, nursing, driving, construction, hospitality, IT and relevant language skills.
6. Protect workers after they reach their destination.
The Ministry’s grievance system and embassy labour wings should provide prompt emergency assistance, legal and translation support, complaint handling and, where necessary, temporary safe accommodation.
7. Give extra protection to women and vulnerable workers.
Employers should be properly verified, contracts should be clear, emergency contacts readily accessible and welfare follow-up regular—particularly for domestic and other vulnerable workers.
8. Make migration loans affordable.
Eligible workers should have access to low-cost loans linked to approved migration expenses so that they do not have to rely on high-interest informal borrowing.
9. Measure results and reward good work.
Relevant agencies, embassy officials and labour-wing staff should be assessed against measurable results: new employers identified, verified jobs generated, workers successfully placed, migration costs reduced and complaints resolved. Strong performance should be recognised through commendations, career recognition or other appropriate government-approved incentives. Responsibility should come with accountability, and good performance with recognition.
Together, these measures can achieve three important national goals at the same time: reduce unemployment, increase remittance earnings and protect Bangladeshi workers from exploitation and fraud.
Overseas employment should be treated not simply as individuals looking for jobs abroad, but as a strategic national economic sector requiring coordinated policy, active market development and effective worker protection.
VfGB would welcome the opportunity to share further ideas and discuss practical implementation with the Ministry.
We respectfully submit these proposals for your kind consideration.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Hasanat Mohammad Husain MBE (Member of the Order of British Empire),
Ph.D. (University of Exeter, UK), Royal Society Post Doctoral (University of Sussex, UK), P.G.C.E. (University of Greenwich, UK), MInstP. (UK), CPhys.(UK), AICTP(Italy)
President, Voice for Global Bangladeshis (VfGB) (www.vfgb.org)
Convenor, Voice for Justice World Forum (www.voiceforjustice.org)
Cc:
Honourable Prime Minister
Mr Tarique Rahman
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Honourable Foreign Minister
Dr. Khalilur Rahman
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Honourable of State Minister
Nurul Haque Nur
Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Background Reading For a fuller discussion of the problems and possible reforms: