Qatar has expressed interest in recruiting Bangladeshi workers in four technical sectors, including electricians, plumbers, air-conditioning technicians, and welders, during a bilateral labour meeting held in Dhaka on Monday.

The interest was conveyed by Qatar’s Labour Minister, Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, at the seventh Bangladesh-Qatar Joint Committee meeting at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment in Dhaka.

According to a press release issued by the ministry, Al Marri said Qatar was keen to recruit workers trained in the four trades from five technical training centres in Bangladesh, underscoring the Gulf nation’s growing demand for skilled manpower.

The meeting was led on the Bangladeshi side by Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury and focused on labour migration, skills development and expanding employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in Qatar.

Bangladesh’s minister said more than 400,000 Bangladeshis were contributing to Qatar’s development, adding that 107,598 Bangladeshi workers travelled to the Gulf country in 2023. He expressed optimism that the number could double this year as labour cooperation expands.

During the meeting, Dhaka also requested Qatar establish visa and medical centres in all eight divisional cities of Bangladesh, noting that only one such centre currently operates in the capital, Dhaka, for Qatar-bound workers.

In response, Al Marri said he would personally raise the matter with Qatar’s interior minister to facilitate its implementation, according to officials.

Al Marri said around 473,000 Bangladeshi workers are currently employed in Qatar, with roughly 30 percent engaged in the country’s development sector and the remainder working in various other occupations. He praised Bangladeshi workers for their skills and dedication and said Qatar had already established two specialised training centres to improve the capabilities of unskilled workers.

Bangladesh’s State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare, Md. Nurul Haque, urged Qatar to recruit more skilled professionals from Bangladesh, including doctors, engineers, nurses, caregivers and religious workers.

Among those attending the meeting were Qatar’s ambassador to Bangladesh, Ali Mahdi Saeed Al-Qahtani, senior Bangladeshi officials and representatives from both countries.