Bangladesh Poised to Miss Quota from Korea for 2023
Published on: October 29, 2023.
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Bangladesh May Fall Short of South Korean Job Quota
Bangladesh is facing challenges in meeting the South Korean job quota for this year due to lower demand from employers. South Korea offers job opportunities for foreign workers in different sectors and has set a quota of 110,000 workers for source countries for 2023. Bangladesh has been allocated a quota of 10,000 workers, but so far, it has only received a demand for 4,151 workers as of October 2023. It is projected that Bangladesh may receive a maximum of 1,000-1,500 job demands in the remaining two months, which means there is a likelihood of missing the quota by about 50% this year.
There are several factors contributing to Bangladesh’s inability to supply quality workers according to the demand of employers. One factor is the decrease in demand for workers in Korean export-oriented industries due to the Russia-Ukraine war. This war has affected the European market, which is a major market for Korean products, leading to an economic recession. Additionally, Bangladeshi workers tend to lag behind in language proficiency, especially in fluency, which is a key requirement for labor migration to South Korea.
The Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), a state recruitment agency, is responsible for sending workers to Korea. There are currently about 6,000 workers on the roster, but employers are sending fewer demand orders than expected. The BOESL managing director, Dr. Mallick Anwar Hossain, attributes this to the Russia-Ukraine war and the economic recession in Europe.
To address the issue of language proficiency, the BOESL plans to make guidelines in January to improve training at private language training centers. Fluency in conversation is an area where Bangladeshi workers need improvement, as they often do well in language tests but lack fluency in practical conversations.
The job quota for a country in a given year depends on its previous year’s performance in manpower migration. Employers’ preferences also play a role, as they tend to avoid hiring workers from countries with a high tendency of runaways. Bangladesh needs to focus on improving language skills and ensuring the supply of quality workers to meet the demands of South Korean employers.
Source: [The Financial Express](https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd)
