Hiring of foreigners ebbs in Bangladesh RMG sector

07 May '12

2 min read

A decreasing trend is being observed in recruitment of foreigners at mid and senior level positions in Bangladesh readymade garment (RMG) sector as young educated Bangladeshis are being attracted to the sector owing to factors like lucrative packages, job availability and job security.

According to Bangladesh's Board of Investment (BoI) figures, 302 work permits were issued to foreigners in industrial category during January-March 2012 quarter, down from 398 issuances during the same period in 2011.

Last year, the BoI issued work permits to a total of 1,197 foreign nationals compared to 1,296 in 2010.

The declining trend is not limited to issuance of new work permits and can also be observed in renewal of work permits. In January-March 2012 period, the BoI renewed 403 permits compared to renewal of 480 permits during the corresponding quarter last year.

Bangladeshi garment sector has been facing a gap in demand and supply of mid and senior level management positions, which were often filled through recruiting personnel from foreign countries, especially from India and Sri Lanka.

These personnel are offered salaries in the range of Tk 50,000 and Tk 400,000 or above on the basis of qualification, experience, position and other factors.

Earlier, Bangladeshi talent did not show interest to join the country's booming garment sector due to absence of human resource policies such as provident fund, insurance and other benefits.

But the trend is changing now, according to industry analysts. They say Bangladeshi talent, who have received their degrees from various leading universities of both Bangladesh and foreign countries, are choosing the apparel sector for job and career.

For RMG factory owners, the new trend is beneficial as hiring Bangladeshi nationals costs less than recruiting personnel from other countries.

The BGMEA Institute of Fashion and Technology (BIFT), set up by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), is also contributing to the trend by offering degrees on the specialized subject to about 3,000 people every year.

There are plans to turn BIFT into a complete university offering degrees to over 5,000 students per annum.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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