Bangladesh’s labour migration framework, primarily governed by the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act (OEMA) 2013, remains a cornerstone of the national economy. In 2024, outflows dipped to 1.01 million (-27% YoY) due to domestic political unrest and shifting policies in Malaysia. However, 2025 saw a robust recovery to 1.13 million workers. Remittances achieved a historic milestone, reaching $32.82 billion in 2025 (approx. 6% of GDP), driven by formal channel incentives and the post-July 2024 interim government’s banking reforms. Despite these gains, systemic challenges persist: high recruitment costs (avg. BDT 309,000), pervasive “dalal” (middleman) fraud, and a 46% rate of wage theft. This document synthesizes data to recommend a shift toward NSDA-aligned green TVET modules and the nationwide scaling of the RAIMS platform to ensure ethical, skilled migration.
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