Country's overseas employment falls 38.5% in six months

The country’s overseas job market has taken a sharp downturn, with the number of workers leaving the country for employment falling by 38.5 percent year-on-year in the six months to August 17.

According to data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), 333,427 Bangladeshis secured overseas jobs between February 17 and August 17 this year, compared with 542,438 during the same period in 2025. The decline amounts to 209,011 workers.

Saudi Arabia remained the largest destination, but the Gulf market saw a dramatic drop in recruitment. A total of 169,646 Bangladeshis travelled to Saudi Arabia for work during the period, accounting for 50.87 percent of all overseas employment.

Singapore ranked second with 40,398 workers, followed by Qatar with 32,127, the Maldives with 15,969, the United Arab Emirates with 13,129 and Kuwait with 13,071.

Bangladesh also sent 8,199 workers to Jordan, 5,316 to Italy, 3,608 to Portugal and 2,863 to Iraq during the six-month period.

The steepest decline was recorded in Saudi Arabia. The country received 361,366 Bangladeshi workers during the corresponding period last year, compared with just 169,646 this year—a drop of more than half.

Worker departures to Qatar and Kuwait also fell sharply. Qatar received 53,135 Bangladeshi workers in the same period last year, compared with 32,127 this year, while Kuwait’s intake dropped from 24,441 to 13,071.

Some markets, however, moved against the broader trend. Singapore recruited 40,398 Bangladeshis this year, up from 36,251 a year earlier. Worker departures to the UAE, Jordan and Italy also increased.

The BMET figures suggest that growth in a handful of destinations has not been enough to offset weaker recruitment in major overseas labour markets. The sustained decline is emerging as a significant challenge for the country’s foreign employment sector, a key source of household income and foreign exchange.