Bangladesh raises migrant workers’ welfare fee by 57%

Dhaka: Bangladeshi migrant workers will have to pay BDT 5,500 as a Wage Earners’ Welfare Board fee from 1 October, up from the existing BDT 3,500, adding to the already high cost of overseas employment.

The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment announced the revised fee in a circular issued on September 20.

The BDT 2,000 increase, equivalent to 57.1%, is expected to put further financial pressure on aspiring migrant workers, particularly those heading to Gulf countries, where migration costs currently range from BDT 4 lakh to BDT 10 lakh, according to sector insiders.

The ministry said the fee revision was aimed at expanding welfare services for expatriate workers and ensuring the sustainability of welfare programs amid rising operational costs and changes in the global economic situation.

The circular was issued with the approval of the competent authority and signed by Saifuzzaman, senior assistant secretary of the ministry’s Welfare-1 section.

The Wage Earners’ Welfare Board provides various welfare services to Bangladeshi migrant workers and their families.