Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment
The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment is a ministry of the government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It provided information, partnerships and facilitations for all matters related to overseas Bangladeshis and overseas employment. Overseas employment is very important in the socio-economic context of Bangladesh. Employment abroad not only reduces the country's unemployment, but also the remittances sent by expatriates working abroad keep the wheels of the country's economy moving. On 20 December 2001, the Government of Bangladesh established a separate Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment, giving increased importance to the field of foreign employment. The purpose of forming this ministry is to ensure the welfare of expatriate workers and expand foreign employment. The Ministry has been working to ensure the welfare of all migrant workers by increasing the flow of remittances and creating opportunities of securing overseas employment for workers from all regions of the country.
Image: Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury Brussels 2008 portrait
Image: Awami League politician Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in New Delhi on January 12, 2011
Image: Imran Ahmad
The Bangladeshi diaspora are people of Bangladeshi birth, descent or origin who live outside of Bangladesh. First-generation migrants may have moved abroad from Bangladesh for various reasons including better living conditions, to escape poverty, to support their financial condition, or to send money back to families there. The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment estimates there are almost 7.5 million Bangladeshis living abroad, the fourth highest among the top 176 countries of origin for international migrants. Annual remittances transferred to Bangladesh were almost $23 billion in 2023, the seventh highest in the world and the third highest in South Asia.
Brick Lane has become the centre of London's Banglatown