Munima Sultana

More than 150 rural women get ready in every two weeks to go abroad, thanks to increased demand for such Bangladeshi workers in Asian and Middle East countries, officials said.

Sources in Bangladesh Manpower Employment and Training

(BMET) said on an average 200 women now sit for test to get certificates. Of which, 70 to 80 per cent receive the certificate for jobs of housekeeper.

The sources said the number of female training seekers, which was below 150 six months ago, has crossed 400 in recent months. In the last few BMET courses, 480 women took part in six batches.

"Most of the trained women have either left the country with jobs or got ready to fly as housekeepers," said BMET director Nurul Islam.

He said a great enthusiasm is visible among rural and urban needy women to work as housekeepers as it ensures their minimum monthly income of US$150.

"These women come to take part in the BMET mandatory course after they have been assured of jobs abroad," he told the FE.

According to BMET, overseas employment for female workers increased to 13,293 in first seven months until July from 10,890. Although global recession pushed the indicator of male migration down to 30 per cent, female migration rate increased to 22 per cent due to increase in demand for low wage workers.

"Rate of increase of female overseas migration is five per cent on an average, which is likely to increase this year due to higher demand from the countries like Lebanon, Libya, Oman," the BMET director said.

At the city's Mirpur Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Migrant Worker Technical Training Centre, it is found that most of 100 women in one batch have already paid at least Tk 50,000 to middlemen to go abroad.

Amina of Jamalpur district informed that her sister-in-law, who recently went back to her employer country in Lebanon spending a month of holiday, has arranged a job for her.

"As I have found my sister-in-law is quite capable of taking care of her family and my in-law family members have no objection, I have become interested," said 25 years old Amina.

Like her, Lucky Begum of Bhasantek and Asma of Savar area have received offers for work as housekeeper in Libya and Lebanon through their relatives.

The BMET sources said the government has also received demand for housekeepers, mostly caregivers from the countries like Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria etc.

Under the BMET training, they were taught to handle different housekeeping tools including washing machine, iron, micro-oven, juicer blender, rice cooker, wheelchair and baby walker. Some communicable English and Arabic words as well as immigration formalities are taught to meet the demand of the employers.

Sumaiya Islam, project director of Bangladesh Ovibashi Mohila Shramik Association (BOMSA), said job scope for the Bangladeshi half-educated female workers is high and added that proper steps of the government could help these women avail of the opportunities.