ROME, 20 November 2020, (TON): Further, Bangladesh will get access to the labor market in Italy later eight years of prohibition. The Italian government has agreed to recruit Bangladeshi workers from this year.

According to officials, Bangladesh is one of the lists of 30 countries approved to send workers to Italy. The Italian government will employ Bangladeshi workers in a range of both seasonal and non-seasonal. Now, there is an ongoing process of submitting applications for sending workers to that country, which will continue till this year, on December 31.

On October 12, AK Abdul Momen, Bangladeshi foreign minister, mentioned Italy has considered the request of Dhaka to open the labor market for Bangladesh by including Bangladesh in that country's seasonal and non-seasonal workers program, according to the UNB report.On that day, the foreign minister highlighted the Bangladeshi workers' intentional violation of the condition of the Italian government by staying in Italy after finishing the season period. For which the Italian government closed its such program for Bangladesh since 2012.

Confirming this matter, Arfanul Haque, labor welfare counselor at the Bangladesh Embassy in Italy, said the Italian government had given a further chance to send Bangladeshi workers in Italy and, jointly seasonal and non-seasonal categories will be applicable.He added Italy would employ nearly 30,850 workers in both categories. Among them, 18,000 workers will be employed under a seasonal visa, and the rest of them will be non-seasonal workers.

For now, the number of Bangladeshi will be less, but the essentiality of reopening the Italian job market for Bangladeshi workers is a crucial fact.He also said the workers must apply to apply directly to the Italian government by submitting workers' passport numbers, name, address, and other details.

He informed the Embassy’s plan to gather the employer's list after this year for creating bondage between Bangladeshi workers and Italian employers in the future.In the meantime, The Ministry of Expatriate Welfare in Bangladesh has warned job-seeker Bangladeshi workers not to pursue any syndicate getting a visa by adopting an illegal way. It has called for following the rules and regulations of the Italian government.Up-to-date, there are about 145,000 thousand registered Bangladeshi workers in Italy. Also, there are a significant number of undocumented Bangladeshis workers there.

Undoubtedly, this launching of the job market for Bangladeshi workers in Italy will impact on Bangladeshi economy positively during the COVID-19 pandemic.