Bangladesh committed to meeting KSA’s demand for skilled workforce

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Asif Nazrul has said Bangladesh is committed to supplying skilled and semi-skilled professionals, including doctors, engineers, nurses, and technicians, to meet the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's growing labour market demands.

He made the remarks at a discussion on Tuesday held at the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh, where he met with owners and senior officials of prominent Saudi companies, read a press release.

Asif Nazrul, also the adviser to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, is in the KSA on an official visit at the invitation of the Saudi minister of human resources and social development to attend the Global Labor Market Conference.

During the discussion at the Bangladesh embassy, the adviser highlighted the vast employment prospects emerging from Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiatives, including mega projects like NEOM, Red Sea, Qiddiya, Green Riyadh, Amala, Diriyah, and Roshan, alongside major global events such as the AFC Asian Cup (2027), Winter Asian Olympics (2029), World Expo (2030), and FIFA World Cup (2034).

Saudi recruitment agencies acknowledged the presence of skilled professionals in Bangladesh but pointed out challenges such as inadequate information, marketing, networking, visa delays, language barriers, and a lack of pre-boarding orientation.

Seeking recruitment agencies’ cooperation, the adviser assured them of resolving these issues and emphasised strengthening ties through labour fairs, seminars, and regular communication with company officials.

He also expressed the government's gratitude to Saudi companies for employing and supporting Bangladeshi workers.

During the event, Asif inaugurated the embassy’s E-Demand Attestation system, enabling Saudi companies to easily register online and attest worker demand letters without visiting the embassy. This initiative was lauded for promoting transparency and efficiency.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Delwar Hossain welcomed the Saudi guests in this interaction session.

Later, the adviser interacted with Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia, listening to their concerns, including high airfare costs and excessive fees charged by recruiting agencies.

He assured them of solutions and encouraged them to maintain close contact with the embassy through social media and its website.

Thanking them for their remittances, he assured the government's continued welfare initiatives for expatriates and urged compliance with Saudi laws and culture to avoid legal complications.

On the issue of voting in the next parliamentary election, he said the government is exploring viable options to facilitate expatriates’ participation.

Asif also distributed prizes to winners of competitions organised as part of the embassy’s "Festival of Youth 2025."