The migration of Bangladeshi workers abroad for jobs declined by 36 percent last month compared to the previous month, with a sharp fall in migration to top destination Saudi Arabia, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

BMET's "Monthly Overseas Employment" data, recently published on its website, shows that 62,436 workers migrated abroad in February, down from 97,867 in January. This brings the total overseas employment for the first two months of this year to 1,60,303.

Last year, 10.11 lakh workers migrated abroad for jobs. Of them, 1,62,158 left in the first two months, including 74,306 in February.

Ali Haider Chowdhury, secretary general of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), attributed last month's decline to several factors.

He said Saudi Arabia is currently the only large market open to Bangladeshi migrant workers, but job demand from the Gulf nation, including for female workers, has recently decreased.

Additionally, the Bangladesh government has tightened the attestation process for workers' documents required for Saudi Arabia, which has also impacted overall migration, he said.

Speaking to this newspaper recently, the Baira leader urged the government to handle issues related to the Saudi job market carefully, warning that ineffective decisions could further slow the flow of workers to the country.

He also called on the government to work towards reopening major job markets like Malaysia, which are closed now, and exploring new opportunities.

According to BMET statistics, out of the total migration this year, 1,20,876 workers, or 75.4 percent, have gone to Saudi Arabia, which remains the primary destination for low-paid Bangladeshi workers.

However, migration to Saudi Arabia fell sharply in February, with only 44,258 workers heading there, compared to 76,618 in January.

Qatar was the second-highest destination for Bangladeshi workers last month, with 7,150 migrating there, followed by Singapore (3,735), Kuwait (2,084), and Jordan (873).

Continued restrictions on hiring new workers from Bangladesh in key destinations like Oman and Malaysia also contributed to the overall decline in worker migration last month.

Oman has maintained restrictions on the migration of fresh low-paid workers from Bangladesh since October 2023, while Malaysia implemented a similar restriction on all labour-sourcing countries, including Bangladesh, in June last year.

However, BMET data shows that 301 workers migrated to Malaysia in February and 1,286 in January, as the country, according to the Bangladesh government, has been hiring Bangladeshi workers only for its plantation sector in recent months.

Similarly, six workers migrated to Oman in February, following 18 in January.

According to government officials, Bangladesh sends workers to more than 160 countries worldwide. However, the majority migrate to a handful of destinations -- the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Although Bangladeshi workers migrate under various categories, such as professionals and skilled labourers, most seek employment as low-paid workers.