DHAKA: Four million people have left Bangladesh through official channels in 29 years between 1976 and 2005. Out of the estimated annual figure for worldwide international remittance of $100 billion, about 20 per cent flows into South Asia, and Bangladesh receives 12 per cent of the portion flowing into South Asia.   

This was disclosed at the launching programme of the International Organization of Migration’s World Migration Report 2005 here on Tuesday.    According to the organization’s Dhaka office, 47.57 per cent of those travelling abroad in search of employment is unskilled and only 4.54 per cent are skilled professionals.   

But the report points out that Bangladesh does not have targeted programmes to fully utilize and gain from the potential of its students migration or skilled migrants.  

Although there is no official figure regarding the Bangladeshi Diaspora in industrialized countries, official data only exists on labour migration showing that the growth rate of Bangladesh migrants is nearly 40 per cent, said the report.   

“Most of those going abroad for employment are unskilled. From 1976 to 1981, professionals and skilled workers outnumbered semi-skilled and unskilled workers,” said the report. The report observes that available data suggests a consistent level of comparatively high proportion of semi-skilled and unskilled migrant workers.   

It also said most the popular destination in the Middle East is Saudi Arabia and half of all Bangladeshi migrants have gone there.  Saudi Arabia with 20,74,367 nationals is followed by the United Arab Emirates with about 5,18,818 migrants and Kuwait with more than 4,13,077 migrants. The three countries are followed by Oman with more than 2,37,878 migrants.    

In southeast Asia, Malaysia has been the main destination with officially more than 2,50,000 Bangladeshis during the same period.

The report also said foreign employment and workers’ remittances contribute significantly to the economic development of the country through reduction of unemployment, augmenting foreign exchange reserves and transfer of skills fetching $3.866 billion in the fiscal 2004-05 with a growth rate of 14.5 per cent compared to the previous year’s figure of $3.37 billion.—By arrangement with NewAge/Dhaka