Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, lawmaker from the reserved seats for women, warned in the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday that Bangladesh faces a high risk of losing its international labour markets unless it develops a skilled workforce aligned with changing global realities.
Speaking under Rule 71 during a call-attention notice on a matter of urgent public importance, the BNP lawmaker said, failure to supply skilled manpower according to current demands would jeopardise the country’s overseas employment sector.
Although Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed did not formally accept the notice, he allowed her two minutes to speak on the issue.
During her address, Moni emphasised that “life is in motion and death is in stagnation,” noting that the movement of skilled manpower drives a country forward. She highlighted the vital role of remittances in the national economy, which contributed approximately 7 per cent to the GDP in 2025.
The lawmaker pointed out a significant gap in the current migration trend, noting that while approximately 10 lakh workers go abroad annually, the majority remain unskilled and undereducated.
Meanwhile, the global labour market is evolving rapidly due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where the rise of advanced technology and automation is steadily reducing the demand for low-skilled labour.
Tracing the history of overseas employment, Moni credited Former President Ziaur Rahman for initiating the journey in the 1980s, which eventually led to the expansion of the country’s global labour market.
She further noted that current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is also prioritising the development of skilled human resources, asserting that there is no alternative to creating a competent workforce for the future of Bangladesh.
Moni urged the relevant ministries to take effective measures to rapidly expand training programmes to every district and upazila.
She concluded that Bangladesh can remain competitive in the international market and safeguard a key source of foreign exchange only through expanded technical education and modern training.
