State Minister for Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Lutfur Rahman Khan Azad said Wednesday that Bangladesh would export about 50,000 workers to Malaysia by October. Migration cost has been fixed at Tk 85,000 or $1200 for each worker. He, however, said the government would take harsh action against any one found involved in irregularities in manpower export. Briefing newsmen at the conference centre of the Bureau of Manpower, on his return from Malaysia, Azad said under an agreement 139 Malaysian outsourcing companies will recruit the Bangladeshi manpower while the whole recruitment process will be completed on line. Mentioning of the wages of employees, he said salary of a worker for industry has been fixed at 1200 Malaysian currency ringgit (TYK 24,000), plantation at 540 ringgit (Tk 10,800) and agriculture at 360 ringgit (Tk 7,200). Malaysian Home Ministry, Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia, BAIRA (Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies) office in Malaysia and the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment will jointly be involved in the recruitment process. Besides, a team, comprising senior officials of both the governments, will monitor the recruitment process and evaluate the position of Bangladeshi manpower on quarterly basis, he said. "Bio metric" methodology will be followed for recruitment and selection of workers. Under an agreement a list of selected workers will be sent to the BAIRA office in Malaysia for handing over it to the Malaysian outsourcing companies for their further selection. Besides, the outsourcing companies could directly recruit employees from Bangladesh. Outsourcing companies will bear the living expenses for three months in case of their failure to employ the Bangladeshi workers from the date of their arrival in Malaysia. Replying to a question, the state minister said Bangladesh received $4.8 billion as remittances from expatriate workers in fiscal 2005-06. He said about 4.2 million Bangladeshis are now working abroad, of which 4.0 per cent are professionals, 33 per cent skilled, 16 per cent semi-skilled and 47 per cent unskilled workers.
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