Labour and Employment and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury. File photo

SYLHET, April 17, 2026 (BSS) - Labour and Employment and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury today said that acquiring language proficiency is very important for getting overseas jobs. 

“If opportunities to learn Arabic, Japanese, and Korean languages can be increased, overseas employment opportunities will expand further,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at a financial grant distribution event organized by the Sylhet Zila Parishad.

The minister said there is a huge demand for skilled workers in Japan, Malaysia, the Middle East, and various countries in Europe. “To meet this demand, our youth must be developed with the necessary skills,” he said.

Ariful Haque Chowdhury said, “We must go abroad not just as ordinary labourers, but as trained and skilled workers.” 

He said if upazila-based training programmes can be launched through the district council, local youth will be able to acquire skills easily. In this regard, he assured that all kinds of support would be provided from the ministry, if needed.

The minister said, "In the past, many Bangladeshis remain detained in the prisons of various countries due to illegal travel abroad or various complications. Many of them could not return to the country for a long time, primarily due to their inability to bear the cost of airfare and necessary expenses. The government has taken this matter seriously. Arrangements are being made to bring them back to the country in phases."

Sylhet District Council Administrator Abul Kaher Chowdhury Shamim chaired the event while BNP's Central Co-Organizing Secretary Miftah Siddiqui, Sylhet Mohanagar Acting President Rezaul Hasan Kais Load, General Secretary Imdad Hossain Chowdhury, and former General Secretary Badruzzaman Selim, among others spoke on the occasion.