Qatar seeks more skilled Bangladeshi workers for development projects

Qatar has expressed interest in recruiting skilled workers, including electricians, plumbers, air-conditioner technicians and welders, from five designated technical training centres in Bangladesh.

The interest was conveyed by Qatari Labour Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri today during the 7th Bangladesh-Qatar Joint Committee meeting with Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury in Dhaka.

Currently, more than 400,000 Bangladeshi workers are employed in the oil-rich Gulf nation, which remains heavily dependent on a foreign workforce.

During the meeting, Ariful Haque thanked the Qatari minister for supporting Bangladeshi workers and highlighted their contribution to the Gulf country's economy.

He also requested the establishment of visa and medical centres in divisional cities in Bangladesh to ease the suffering of migrant workers who have to travel to Dhaka for related services.

Mentioning that 107,598 Bangladeshi workers travelled to Qatar in 2023, the minister expressed hope that Qatari authorities would accept double that number this year.

Ali bin Samikh Al Marri praised Bangladeshi workers for their dedication and efficiency, saying Qatar was seeking skilled manpower capable of contributing immediately to the country’s ongoing development projects.

He also said special training centres had already been established in Qatar to further improve workers’ skills after their arrival.

Ariful Haque expressed gratitude for various initiatives taken by the Qatari government to ensure the welfare of Bangladeshi workers and address their problems.

Responding to the request for additional visa centres in divisional cities, the Qatari labour minister assured that he would personally request Qatar’s interior minister to implement the proposal.

Ariful Haque also conveyed profound thanks on behalf of the Bangladesh government and its people for what he described as the unique humanitarian gesture of the Emir of Qatar, who sent an air ambulance for the emergency medical treatment of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

The bilateral meeting was attended, among others, by Qatari Ambassador to Bangladesh Ali Mahdi Saeed Al-Qahtani, Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry Secretary Mokhtar Ahmed, PM’s Special Assistant Shakirul Islam and senior officials from the relevant ministries of both countries.