EXPLORING THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES FOR LESS-SKILLED, SEMI-SKILLED AND SKILLED MIGRANT WORKERS OF BANGLADESH: PROSPECTS, CHALLENGES & WAY FORWARD

The purpose of this paper intends to explore the employment opportunities in East European countries (EECs) for less-skilled, semi-skilled and skilled migrant workers of Bangladesh through prospects, challenges & way forward. This study, using qualitative approach, has utilized the purposive and snowball sampling technique for executing thirty in-depth interviews along with two FGDs. Data has been analyzed by content analysis and thematic analysis. The findings reveal some lucrative job sectors in the labor market of East European countries, along with a few financial and nonfinancial prospects for Bangladeshi migrants. Some of these prospects include attractive compensation packages, medical allowances, public health facilities, and prompt remittance-sending facilities. Nevertheless, some highly weighted challenges, such as high migration costs, limited knowledge about government services, lack of access to finance, language barriers, cultural differences, and legal support, pose hindrances also. To overcome these challenges, policies and actions such as increasing tax incentives, affordability, easy access to loans, ensuring financial transaction protection, education and awareness campaigns, economic incentives, community building initiatives, easy access to services, and anti-discrimination laws and policies can assist a lot. The government of Bangladesh is providing some support, but most current and prospective workers are not well aware of these services. However, the result of this paper has found EEC to be a prominent source of overseas employment for the less-skilled, semi-skilled, and skilled labor force of Bangladesh.