Dhaka: More than 45,000 Bangladeshi engineers  are now engaged in oversees jobs, said Expatriates' Welfare and Oversees Employment Minister Nurul Islam in Parliament on Wednesday.

"A total of 45,772 Bangladeshi engineers, 1,067 doctors and 1,436 nurses are now engaged in oversees jobs," he said replying to a starred question from Awami League MP Md Mamunur Rashid Kiron (Noakhali-3).

According to a statistics the minister placed in the House, the highest 17,174 Bangladeshi engineers are working in the United Arab Emirate (UAE), while 10,313 in Oman, 4,910 in Qatar, 4,592 in Singapore, 1,610 in Bahrain, 1,526 in Libya and 1,211 in Saudi Arab.

Among other countries, 893 Bangladeshi engineers are working in Egypt, 787 in the Maldives, 571 in Malaysia, 439 in Italy, 361 in Iraq, 216 in Mauritius, 215 in Brunei, 199 in Yemen, 181 in Afghanistan, 160 in Japan and 107 in Lebanon.

The highest 653 Bangladeshi doctors are working in Saudi Arab, while 133 in Libya, 72 in the Maldives and 65 in Oman. The remaining doctors are working in 20 other countries.

In reply to another starred question from ruling party MP Ali Azam, the minister said Bangladesh exported nearly 4.61 lakh workers in the first seven months of the current fiscal year from July 2016 to January 2017.

Of them, the highest 1,30,484 Bangladeshi workers went to Saudi Arab, while 96,015 to Oman, 61,754 to Qatar, 50,008 to Bahrain.

Among other countries, 33,007 Bangladeshi workers went to Kuwait, 27,666 to Singapore, 15,434 to Malaysia, 11,904 to Jordan, 11,765 to the Maldives, 8,233 to Lebanon, 3,833 to Brunei, 2,600 to UAE and 2,440 to Mauritius.