DHAKA: Bangladesh is preparing to send 1,300 taxi and motorcycle drivers to Dubai by the end of 2024, the government has said, as the UAE plans to recruit hundreds more in subsequent years.

More than 1.2 million Bangladeshi nationals live and work in the UAE, which has the second-highest base of workers from Bangladesh after Saudi Arabia. Most of them are employed in the construction, manufacturing and service sectors, including transportation.

State Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury and the UAE’s ambassador to Dhaka, Abdulla Ali Al-Hamoudi, discussed the employment of drivers on Thursday, following the minister’s talks with Dubai transportation stakeholders last month.

“One of them was a meeting with Dubai Taxi. As a result of that meeting, Dubai Taxi Corp. has already started recruiting skilled workers,” Chowdhury said.

“The United Arab Emirates will hire 1,300 taxi and motorcycle drivers from Bangladesh this year. Among them, there are 1,000 motorcycle drivers and 300 taxi drivers.”

The number is going to increase in subsequent years.

“(The UAE) will hire at least 2,000 taxi and motorcycle drivers from next year,” Chowdhury said.

Shariful Hasan, associate director of the Migration Program at BRAC — Bangladesh’s largest development organization — told Arab News that the new recruitment plan was a “positive” development.

“There is a good demand for Bangladeshi drivers in the Middle Eastern countries. A significant number of Bangladeshis are already working in Dubai with much goodwill,” he said.

“As we have plenty of skilled drivers, Bangladesh can meet this demand easily … I believe that in the coming days, Bangladeshi drivers will be recruited in more numbers in the Middle Eastern countries.”

The UAE is the leading source of remittance inflows to Bangladesh, with $3.65 billion remitted between July 2023 and April 2024, 52 percent more than in the equivalent period a year earlier.

Since 2013, the UAE has been recruiting only skilled workers from Bangladesh, which according to Hasan was the right approach.

“Instead of sending 1.3-1.4 million unskilled laborers annually, it’s much better to send 150,000-200,000 skilled workers,” he said.

“These skilled workforces will earn a better salary and build a better image for the country.”