The government has set its sights on Japan as a key labour market, aiming to tap into its demand for over 1.2 million foreign workers by 2029 as part of a broader pledge to send one crore Bangladeshis abroad for employment over the next five years.
The commitment was reiterated at the first meeting of a committee formed to expand overseas employment and ensure expatriate welfare, held at the Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Presiding over the meeting, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury directed officials to present weekly updates on expanding foreign labour markets, warning against any negligence.
“Japan is a promising labour market for Bangladesh in terms of overseas employment, given the demand for foreign workers, a safe working environment, the guarantee of 100 percent labour rights, and high wages,” the minister said.
According to the meeting, Japan primarily recruits foreign workers under four visa categories. A Japan Times report from 23 December 2025, cited in the meeting, indicates that under the ESD and SSW categories alone, Japan will recruit over 1.2 million foreign workers by March 2029.
Bangladesh, with an additional working-age population of approximately 2.5 crore after meeting domestic labour demand, stands to benefit significantly if workers are properly skilled, officials noted.
The meeting extensively discussed strategies to enhance Bangladeshi workers’ employment in Japan, including appointing Japanese language teachers, preparing skilled manpower according to demand, increasing student visas for language studies, and conducting skill tests for all 16 SSW fields.
Other discussions included establishing a Japan Foundation office in Dhaka, boosting the number of Japanese language trainers in local training centres, and increasing test seats and centres for Japanese language proficiency exams.
Plans were also laid out for the phased introduction of Japanese language courses in all Technical Training Centres (TTCs) and recruiting local Japanese language trainers at the grassroots level, alongside exploring “virtual teaching” platforms for Japanese instructors.
The committee, formed as part of the government’s election manifesto commitment to provide overseas employment for one crore Bangladeshi workers in five years, is developing country-specific action plans.
Present at the meeting were Prime Minister’s Adviser on Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and Labour and Employment Mahdi Amin, State Minister Md Nurul Haque, senior officials, and representatives from various departments and agencies.
