The Silent Departure -Md Tareq Hasan

The Middle East used to attract a large number of expatriate workers, many of whom lacked education or technical skills. It remains the largest labor market for Bangladeshis, who also seek education or work opportunities in various developed countries, such as Europe, the UK, the USA, Canada, and Australia.

A significant proportion of them are young and intend to settle permanently in their destination countries. They are not merely pursuing education or employment abroad.

They are also looking for a better quality of life. Some of the successful entrepreneurs and professionals are leaving the country as well. They include administration officials, university teachers, engineers, and artists who could have a decent income by working in the country. But they prefer a better life, which entails more than just a job or job security in the country. They desire social security, personal security, civil rights, environmental protection, and more. Due to the absence of these factors, they have departed the country and relocated abroad.

It is undeniable that the garment industry and remittances from abroad, or expatriate income, are the two main sectors driving the nation’s economy today. The country’s economy has advanced by depending on these sectors. These two sectors have dominated the economy for a long time. However, we have failed to create an alternative source of income. It is also evident that expatriate income does not match the income of our citizens who have worked abroad. Most of these citizens emigrate abroad without possessing any skill. If we could send skilled manpower abroad, fewer people would be able to remit more foreign currency than they do now.

According to data from the Bangladesh Bank, expatriates sent remittances worth about 160 million dollars in August 2023. But in 2022, remittances amounted to 203 million dollars in the same month. That is, remittances in August 2023 decreased by 21.48 percent compared to August 2022. However, manpower exports have risen compared to any previous period.

According to the data of the Bangladesh Manpower, Employment, and Training Bureau (BMET), 11 lakh, 37 thousand, and 931 workers from the country went abroad in the fiscal year 2022–23. In contrast, remittances of 2 thousand, 161 crore, and 7 lakh dollars were received. 9 lakh, 88 thousand, and 910 people went abroad in the previous fiscal year; remittances were 2 thousand, 103 crore, and 17 lakh dollars. Therefore, despite the increase in manpower exports, remittances were not arriving in the country the way the country exported manpower.

There is a mechanism for sending manpower abroad. Those who cannot secure work in the country will go and work abroad in some manner. They will remit money to the country. Their own families will benefit from it, and the country will also benefit. But now, a large segment of the young population is migrating abroad without any plan. They want to exit the country by any means. There may be various reasons behind this. The main reason is that we are not able to provide any kind of education for the youth so that after completing the education, he or she can do something by himself without requiring a job. Besides this, there is no situation in the country where you can get a job if you want to work. Millions of educated, unemployed youth spend years waiting to find a job, but the desired job does not materialize. A part of them was ready to go abroad at one point. Besides this, the situation is such that some parents think in advance about sending their children abroad without the assurance that they will get a job after receiving an education in the country. There is a common perception among them that they will at least find a job to lead a life abroad.

Many say that the context of the country is also changing. Yes, that is also true. The country is also progressing with time. The economy is advancing. Padma Bridge, Metro Rail, and other infrastructure have been and are being developed. Living standards have risen despite the agony of inflation. Per capita income and average life expectancy have increased overall. Still, this may not be enough to stop youth migration abroad. Some are raising the question: if the talented young people leave the country like this, then who will take the country forward? Who will lead the development of the country in the future? How will we achieve the capabilities that will be needed to stay competitive in the world in the future? Besides this, it is not only the financial income that is associated with the foreign migration of the population. A section of the population is going out with the country’s money. The state pays for the education of many students who are pursuing higher education. Many businessmen and industrialists are building their second home abroad, which helps them increase the scope of industry and business. Domestic money is going abroad through them.

It is argued that if we could ensure the safety of our universities for the students, we could create a conducive environment for learning, and we could guarantee their timely graduation. If they were provided with a proper, quality education, then thousands of students from the country would not pursue studies abroad every year. Hard-earned foreign money would also be conserved. According to the report of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, every year more than 40 thousand Bangladeshi students migrate abroad for higher education. This number has been escalating since 2015, two years after the coronavirus. In the last two years, about 17,000 Bangladeshi students have migrated to the United States for higher education. Besides this, many students are going to Malaysia, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, India, and South Korea for higher education. Recently, Bangladeshi students have also augmented in Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand, Cyprus, and Finland. A survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, a government organization, showed that in 2021, three out of every thousand people departed the country and migrated abroad. Last year, this number increased by 6.6 percent per thousand.

According to the report ‘The Global Employment Trends for Youth-2022’ published by the International Labor Organization, the unemployment rate among the youth of Bangladesh is 10.6 percent. According to the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit, 47 out of every 100 graduates in Bangladesh are unemployed. According to a survey by ActionAid Bangladesh and the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling, a large part of the youth group in Bangladesh is in socio-economic peril. Due to discrimination and a lack of quality education, 78 percent of young people think that they will not get a job after studying; this rate is 90 percent for poor students. According to the data from another survey by the Bangladesh Development Research Institute, 66 percent of the students who have passed from the affiliated colleges of the National University are unemployed.

Bangladeshi youth may be escaping abroad because of the state of the country’s education and job market. They are trying to settle in Europe and America in various ways. To go abroad, some are taking dreadful risks, like crossing the deep sea by boat. The dream of some of them to go abroad is ending by drowning in the sea. Those who are going to Europe and America illegally are seeking asylum there on various pretexts. These asylum seekers are seeking asylum as victims of political harassment, torture, or persecution for religious or expression reasons. Their claims are also tarnishing the country’s image.

According to the latest data, about 21 thousand Bangladeshis have applied for asylum in 27 countries belonging to the European Union (EU) in the first six months of the last year. The total number of such asylum seekers from different countries is 5 lakh, 19 thousand. The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) published this information on September 5, 2023. About 25 percent of the applicants are citizens of Syria and Afghanistan. People from these two countries are fleeing the country due to war.

Sources at EUAA say that asylum seekers have been surging in European Union countries for several years. The number of asylum seekers in 2022 was 53 percent higher than in 2021. The number of asylum seekers in 2023 was about 28 percent higher than in 2022. In 2022, about 46,000 applications were submitted in the first six months. Last year, it exceeded 5 lakhs. This time, about 59 percent of people who applied for asylum were rejected. The EUAA estimates that the number of asylum seekers could reach 1 million by the end of 2023.

This is the global picture. The contexts of the countries from which migrants want to go to Europe and America are also diverse. A war in a country, a financial crisis in a country, or a severe policy of the ruling class are inducing citizens to migrate abroad.
But the context of Bangladesh is different. The government says political stability has led to massive development in the country. The standard of living has improved. The average life expectancy for people has increased. Per capita income has increased. There has been massive employment. A lot of development has been achieved in the communication and infrastructure sectors. The foreign investment environment in the country has improved. If such a situation really arises, why will the youth leave the country in droves? Many people ask this question. The question is, if a large part of the country’s young generation migrates abroad or settles abroad, then how will the future of the country’s development and progress be?

The point is that if there is a plan to employ the young generation on the soil of the country, the flow of them going abroad could be further reduced. Their talent, intelligence, and work force could be used for the country. It would increase the speed of the wheel of development progress. If we don’t make such a plan with the youth now, the future may bring bad news.