Bangladesh’s Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, told parliament that the ongoing war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States has disrupted the process of sending Bangladeshi workers to several Middle Eastern labor markets, including the United Arab Emirates. He made the statement on Sunday in response to a question from BNP lawmaker Shafiqul Rahman during a parliamentary session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.

The minister explained that the government alone cannot manage the overseas employment process and therefore issues licenses to private recruiting agencies to involve them in manpower export. He highlighted government initiatives to expand labor markets in Dubai and other Asian countries. Chowdhury also reported that in 2025, a total of 1,132,519 Bangladeshis secured overseas employment, including 62,352 women workers. He added that over 15 million Bangladeshis are currently working in 176 countries worldwide.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring the rights and welfare of expatriate workers and noted that previous administrations had neglected these issues. He also mentioned ongoing efforts to maintain transparency and competition in labor recruitment, particularly regarding Malaysia.