Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Monday said Saudi Arabia will recruit at least 10,000 Bangladeshi workers every month and that is under ‘zero cost’.

He said this while talking to reporters after a meeting with the visiting 19-member delegation of Saudi government, led by Dr Ahmed Al-Fahaid, Deputy Minister for International Affairs of the Ministry of Labour of Saudi Arabia, at his office at Probashi Kalyan Bhaban in Dhaka, reprots UNB. 

The minister said, “We have discussed sending workers the minimum wage of 1,500 Riyal. About 10,000 people will be sent to that country every month against 10 categories in the household sector for works like driving and managerial jobs.”

He also noted that the private sectors of both the countries will carry out the labour migration between the countries.

The recruitment agencies in Saudi Arabia will convey their demand through the Embassy and the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry will give the clearance to the demand after assessment, said Khandker Mosharraf Hossain.

It will be strictly monitored that not a single penny is charged from the aspirants for the migration, he added.

The aspirant workers will only require to spend about Tk 10,000-15,000 for their personal costs, he said, adding that both the governments have agreed to complete the migration process at zero or minimum cost for the workers.

A joint committee will be formed with officials of both the governments to ensure that the migration is completed at zero cost for the workers, he added.

The minister also noted that besides the household works, the Saudi government is also interested in taking Bangladeshi labourers in various sectors for building a mega city in that country.

He hoped that Bangladesh will be able to send more workers to other Middle Eastern countries in the coming days.

The Saudi government has recently reopened its manpower market for Bangladeshi jobseekers lifting the ban of long seven years since 2008.