On March 8th, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud engaged in discussions with the UAE Minister for Human Resources and Emiratisation, Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar, in Dubai. The meeting aimed to explore increased employment opportunities for Bangladeshi nationals across various sectors and Emirates in the UAE job market.
During the bilateral meeting, Minister Hasan Mahmud urged Minister Al Awar to reopen visas across all trades and emirates, seeking easier visa procedures for Bangladeshi workers in various categories. He also emphasized the importance of facilitating the transfer of work permits between employers.
Minister Al Awar assured that there were no restrictions on employing Bangladeshi workers, emphasizing the UAE government’s focus on recruiting a skilled workforce aligned with the demands of the technology-driven job market. He highlighted the use of AI and related software for recruitment and workforce management, expressing concerns about skills verification and certification of job seekers.
In response, Minister Mahmud briefed his UAE counterpart on Bangladesh’s initiatives to enhance the skills of its workforce destined for the UAE. He expressed readiness to employ UAE language trainers to align the workforce with the demands of the UAE job market.
Highlighting Kuwait’s recruitment of nurses, Minister Mahmud urged the UAE to consider recruiting qualified nurses and medical professionals from Bangladesh. Minister Al Awar welcomed the proposal, pledging to examine the Kuwaiti recruitment model in an upcoming joint technical committee meeting in Dhaka.
The meeting also addressed the welfare issues of the Bangladeshi community in the UAE. Notably, challenges related to seafarers signing with Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDC) to use UAE ports were discussed, with Minister Al Awar assuring a prompt and urgent resolution.
Bangladesh Ambassador to UAE Md Abu Zafar and other officials from the Bangladesh side were present during the meeting. Minister Hasan Mahmud is scheduled for a bilateral consultation with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and will also engage with Bangladeshi expatriates during his two-day visit.