Technology Boosts Bangladesh Migrant Job Search

The Bangladeshi government has turned to technology to assist its citizens in looking for jobs overseas. Any worker can now post his or her resume, national identification and passport details on a government website portal, which can then be viewed by foreign employers. This process reduces transaction costs related to attaining jobs overseas, particularly payoffs to corrupt middlemen, and rural people no longer have to travel to Dhaka. As foreign remittances constitute a major source of foreign exchange for Bangladesh, the government is hoping that the “digitising and modernising the recruitment process” can spur job creation and reduce poverty. The online system is also expected to help diversity of receiving countries for Bangladeshi workers, as political unrest in the Middle East, a popular destination for these migrants, has had an adverse effect on migration. The government can also use the digital database to track and presumably protect Bangladeshi workers once they are abroad. – YaleGlobal