DHAKA: Bangladesh is preparing to send more skilled workers to Saudi Arabia, authorities said on Tuesday, following the signing of a new recruitment agreement in Riyadh.

Around 3 million Bangladeshi nationals live and work in Saudi Arabia. They are the largest expat group in the Kingdom and the biggest community outside their country.

Bangladeshi citizens have been working in Saudi Arabia since the 1970s but until now their employment was regulated by memoranda on specific labor deployment.

The new pact, signed on Monday by the Kingdom’s Human Resources and Social Development Minister Ahmad bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi and Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Asif Nazrul, is the first such agreement for general worker recruitment.

“With this agreement, it is expected that the recruitment of skilled workers from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia across various professions will increase, and the rights and interests of both workers and employers will be better protected,” the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment said in a statement.

In the wake of numerous infrastructure projects underway in the Kingdom, the current demand is 30,000 certified workers per month, joint secretary of the ministry’s training wing, Mokhlesur Rahman Akand, told Arab News.

“We are taking all measures to meet the demand of the Saudi certification authorities, since sending more skilled workforces ensures better opportunities.”

Candidates are tested by the Saudi agency Takamol, which certifies workers according to standards and requirements of the Skill Verification Program. It is an initiative launched in 2021 under Vision 2030 to advance the professional competence of employees in the Kingdom’s labor market.

“They oversee everything online,” Akand said. “We provide the training in our Technical Training Centers, where computer-based tests are conducted. We have 104 TTCs across the country.”

Currently, many Bangladeshis are employed in the construction sector. And more are likely to find jobs in the industry in the next few years as the Kingdom prepares to host the AFC Asian Cup in 2027, the World Expo in 2030, and the World Cup in 2034.

“We are now working in line with Saudi demand,” Akand said.

“We hope that by early next year we will be able to meet the target set by the Takamol.”