Unskilled workers continue to make up the majority of Bangladesh’s migrant workforce, even as overall labor migration declined in 2024, according to government and expert reports.

Data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) shows that in 2024, 54.23% of Bangladeshi migrant workers were unskilled, 17.56% were semi-skilled, 23.62% were skilled, and only 4.59% were professionals.

A report by the Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) highlighted a 30.8% drop in labor migration in 2024 compared to the previous year. 906,000 workers went abroad between January and November, down from 1.3 million in 2023. The closure of labor markets in Malaysia, the Maldives, Oman, and the UAE contributed to this decline, pushing more unskilled workers into migration.

Experts attribute the trend to a lack of vocational training and language skills. Migration specialist Mohammad Jalal Uddin Sikder of North South University stressed the need for vocational education and foreign language training to enhance skilled manpower exports. He also suggested bilateral agreements to facilitate the migration of professionals such as doctors and engineers.

The government has set up training centers to address the skills gap. Still, officials acknowledge that changing mindsets and education policies will be crucial for long-term improvements in the labor export sector.