BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

LOCALIZATION OF JOBS IN THE GCC REGION: IMPLICATIONS FOR BANGLADESH

Author: Benuka Ferdousi

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2019v40n1a2

ABSTRACT

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is home to about three fourth of Bangladesh’s expatriates. In 2018, labour migration from Bangladesh to the GCC countries fell by about 60 per cent. Although fluctuation is common in overseas employment, this fall in labour migration to the GCC appeared as a concern because it took place at a time when the Gulf countries had started a renewed drive for localization of jobs. In this context, this paper attempts to see the implications of recent drive on localization of jobs by the GCC countries on overseas employment of Bangladesh. The paper argues that although the earlier localization efforts in the GCC region achieved little success and the success of recent localization drive is still uncertain, there is not much room for complacency for labour sending countries either. Growing youth unemployment and uncertain future of oil are mounting pressure on the governments of the GCC countries and hence things might not go as before. It, therefore, seems that although the labour countries like Bangladesh may not worry just now, they should get themselves prepared for change in the GCC labour market in long run, if not in short run