- Not a single closed labor market has been reopened
- Only 962 workers sent to Japan out of a promised 100,000
- Fourteen foreign trips in fourteen months — bringing home nothing but colorful radishes
Under the illegitimate Yunus administration, Bangladesh’s overseas labor market has plunged into a deep crisis.
Except for Saudi Arabia, three of the country’s most important destinations for migrant workers — the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Oman — remain completely closed. Even after more than a year under the interim government, these markets have not been revived. Meanwhile, new complications have arisen even in the Saudi market.
Since seizing power, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, often described as a “global player,” has made 14 foreign trips in 14 months.
However, none of these visits have produced any tangible benefit for Bangladesh.
In February, Yunus traveled to the UAE with his family and a large entourage — yet beyond a few assurances and photo opportunities, there were no results.
The UAE labor market remains closed, and the Emirati government has even stopped issuing all categories of visas to Bangladeshi citizens.
During the July movement, several expatriate Bangladeshi workers staged protests in the UAE in support of the movement. The Emirati authorities detained them — and to this day, Dr. Yunus’s so-called international influence has failed to bring them home.
The Malaysian and Omani labor markets also remain closed.
Despite earlier promises to send 17,000 workers to Malaysia, no employer has yet issued a single demand letter.
Yunus’s administration had boasted of sending 500,000 workers to Japan within five years, earning widespread applause at the time. But in reality, only 962 workers have gone so far — and not a single one in the past six months.
According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), from January to September 2025, a total of 813,064 Bangladeshi workers went abroad — a decline of 7.5% compared to the same period in 2022 and 17.85% compared to 2023.
Of these, 67.7% went to Saudi Arabia alone.
Officials and stakeholders in the migration sector say that none of the nine closed markets have reopened in the past year.
Recruiters fear that without immediate research and diplomatic initiatives, Bangladesh’s manpower export sector will face severe long-term damage.
Overall, during Yunus’s tenure, Bangladesh’s international image and credibility have been reduced to dust.
While he has secured personal benefits — including tax exemptions, Grameen Bank’s tax waivers, university and manpower export licenses, and digital wallet permissions — the people of Bangladesh have received, as critics mockingly say, “nothing but colorful radishes.”
