Dubai to recruit 6,000 Bangladeshi drivers this year

A delegation from Dubai Taxi Company paid a courtesy call on Expatriates‍‍` Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury at his office on Sunday.

The information was disclosed in a press release issued by the ministry and signed by Public Relations Officer Md Shariful Islam following the meeting.

During the meeting, the minister thanked the delegation for recruiting skilled drivers from Bangladesh and expressed hope that the recruitment process would continue in the coming days.

He assured the delegation of all necessary support from the ministry in this regard and requested the company to provide salaries and allowances to the workers during their training period after arriving in Dubai.

Ariful Haque also urged the delegation to recruit not only drivers but also “white-collar” professionals from Bangladesh, including doctors and nurses.

Representatives of Dubai Taxi Company said around 15,000 employees from 27 countries are currently working in the company as taxi and limousine drivers, of whom nearly 8,000 are Bangladeshis.

“Bangladeshi workers are highly hardworking and therefore receive priority in recruitment,” the delegation said, adding that Bangladeshi women are successfully working as drivers at Dubai Airport.

The representatives further said the screening and selection process for qualified Bangladeshi drivers through interviews at the Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Centre will begin on Monday.

They added that the company is interested in recruiting another 1,500 drivers in this phase and a total of 6,000 drivers this year.

Speaking at the meeting, State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Haque said Bangladeshi drivers currently have to spend a large amount of money to go to Dubai for employment.

He noted that most of these workers come from poor and working-class backgrounds and often arrange the money through hardship or loans. He therefore urged the company to reduce migration costs and keep expenses within Tk 100,000, considering the workers’ financial condition.

Secretary of the ministry Md Mokhtar Ahmed, senior representatives of Dubai Taxi Company and Al Anas Overseas, along with other senior officials of the ministry, were present during the meeting.