Talent Partnership triple-win for Bangladesh, EU Member States, and migrant workers

DHAKA (ILO news) — Bangladesh, with over 7.4 million migrant workers overseas, is critical in providing a workforce for the global labour markets. However, challenges persist, such as skills gaps, high migration costs, and limited opportunities for women. Meanwhile, EU Member States face increasing demand for skilled labour to address workforce shortages across numerous occupational sectors.

The Talent Partnership project, financed by the European Union at EUR 3 million, is a transformative initiative designed to bridge these gaps. The International Labour Organization (ILO), the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE), and the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) will implement this three-year project.

The Talent Partnership project will focus on building stakeholder capacity and cooperation to facilitate safe and regular labour migration from Bangladesh to EU countries while reducing hazardous, irregular migration. The Project will support skills matching and recognition between the two regions, ensuring that workers are equipped with competencies meeting EU requirements. Upgraded training programmes will endeavour to prepare 3,000 Bangladeshi workers for international job opportunities aligned with industry demand. 

Additionally, the Project will strengthen the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) online job-matching platform, improving access to employment opportunities for skilled job seekers. The Project will promote fair recruitment practices and decent work conditions through enhanced governance and international collaboration. Furthermore, the initiative will foster dialogue and cooperation between Bangladeshi and EU stakeholders to create sustainable and inclusive labour mobility mechanisms.

In this way, the Talent Partnership will aim to develop a "triple win" for all parties involved, i.e. tangible benefits for migrant workers, Bangladesh and EU Member States, consisting of safe and regular mobility pathways between Bangladesh and EU Member States, combined with employment of upskilled Bangladeshi workers in EU Member States.

At today’s kick-off event in Dhaka, several high-level representatives of stakeholders and partner agencies involved in the Project made remarks regarding the Talent Partnership collaboration between Bangladesh and the European Union. 

Dr Asif Nazrul, Advisor to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE), who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, emphasised the importance of addressing the challenges faced by Bangladeshi migrant workers.  He stated that Bangladesh is currently enjoying a demographic dividend, and many Bangladeshi youth aspire to migrate abroad for better employment opportunities, but too often, they choose irregular and hazardous pathways. Dr Nazrul expressed the wish that the Talent Partnership Project would help establish a safe and legal mobility mechanism, ensuring the safety of Bangladeshi youth while boosting remittance earnings for Bangladesh.

Mr. Tuomo Poutiainen, Country Director of the ILO Country Office for Bangladesh, highlighted the project's impact on skills development and fair recruitment, noting that the Talent Partnership project will facilitate technical upskilling to enhance employability and job opportunities while strengthening fair recruitment for migrant workers. Mr. Poutiainen stated that ILO is honoured to have been chosen by the European Union as the lead implementing agency for this initiative, and he expressed his pleasure that ILO is working with key stakeholders in Bangladesh and EU Member States to realise this strategic initiative.

H.E. Michael Miller, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh, underscored the role of both the Government of Bangladesh and EU Member States in ensuring the success of the Talent Partnership initiative. He highlighted the growing concern that an increasing number of Bangladeshi citizens arrive in the EU region with irregular status, either through illegal entry, fraudulent documents, overstaying visas, etc.  Ambassador Miller noted the grave and concerning labour migration governance deficits in Bangladesh, which must be effectively addressed to enable the sustained operation of mobility pathways between Bangladesh and the EU Member States.  He emphasised that one of the pillars of the Talent Partnership Initiative is the operational application of international labour standards and human rights, of which fair recruitment and the ‘’employer pays’’ principles are key.   For this reason, Ambassador Miller encouraged the Bangladesh Government to prioritise resolving these persisting deficits of the required labour migration governance to ensure successful collaboration between Bangladesh and the European Union on the Talent Partnership Initiative.
 Following these high-level remarks, representatives of stakeholders, agencies, and embassies discussed the Talent Partnership Project’s strategy and main deliverables, which were presented in the plenary.  Many stakeholders provided observations and recommendations for the Talent Partnership Project strategy and deliverables, agreeing with the overall project priorities and strategies. 

Summarising key conclusions of the plenary discussion, stakeholders agreed that sustained collaboration of both the public and private sectors in Bangladesh and EU Member States would be required to overcome current challenges and for the Talent Partnership collaboration to succeed.  Overall, the Talent Partnership Project was welcomed by stakeholders as a timely initiative to deliver ‘’triple-wins’’ for migrant workers in Bangladesh and EU Member States, consisting of safe and regular mobility pathways between Bangladesh and EU Member States, combined with employment of upskilled Bangladeshi workers in EU Member States.