The manpower export to the Gulf countries is feared to drop this year compared to the previous year, sources said.
According to the Arab News, the Oman government under the employment and replacement plan, has taken move to increase job opportunities for Omani citizens and replace overseas workers with local manpower.
Bangladesh exported a total of 106,848 (10.80 per cent of total export) during the January-September 2023 period compared to 179,612 (15.81 per cent in 2022)
Bangladesh exported a total of 188,247 workers --the highest number in a single year -- to Oman in 2016, followed by 179,612 workers in 2022, 170,322 workers in 2012, 135,265 workers in 2011 and 129,859 workers in 2015.
The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) data suggests that Bangladeshi nationals top the list of expatriate workers in Oman, with the total reaching 703,840 individuals, followed by 530,242 Indians, according to the Arabian Stories, a leading English newspaper in Oman.
Number of Indian expatriates 490,114 in March 2022 and Pakistan nationals were 206,083 while currently 275,719 Pakistani expatriates over there.
Oman is on course to surpass its 2023 employment and replacement plan after hitting 53 percent of its target for job creation in the first half of the year, according to Arab News.
An office bearer or Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) said Bangladesh should explore new market as the labour market in the Gulf countries, including Oman, will not remain vibrant in the coming days
Meanwhile, Deputy Head of Bangladesh embassy in Muscat Maushumi Rahman, recently said “Bangladesh will continue exploring the overseas labour market in Oman.
According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), Bangladesh exported a total of around 1.6 million workers to Oman during the period of 1976-2021, sharing 11.6 per cent of the country's total manpower export to overseas markets during the same period.
"Oman is an important labour market to Bangladeshi expats and this country will also continue to remain lucrative as the Gulf country has started implementing a number of development projects," said Maushumi Rahman.
KSA is the largest labour market for Bangladeshi expats as of now. The country exported 46,68,542 workers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the 1976-2021 period, sharing 34.3% of the total labour market.