Bangladesh’s labour market in Mauritius which had remained closed is set to reopen.
On the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference 2026 held in Geneva, Switzerland, Bangladesh’s Minister for Labour, Employment, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, held a bilateral meeting with Mauritius Labour Minister Muhammad Reza Cassam Uteem at the United Nations Office in Geneva on Monday (8 June).
The meeting yielded positive outcomes regarding the reopening of the labour market.
The cordial discussion focused on the current situation of Bangladeshi workers in Mauritius, the reopening of the suspended labour market and future bilateral cooperation.
Both countries agreed to move quickly toward signing a Memorandum of Understanding-MoU on manpower recruitment from Bangladesh.
At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Tareque Rahman to the Government of Mauritius.
He urged the Mauritian government to take a positive decision toward the swift signing of the MoU to facilitate the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers.
Highlighting the capabilities of Bangladesh’s skilled workforce, the minister noted that, in addition to the textile sector, Bangladesh is prepared to send skilled professionals such as doctors, engineers, nurses and accountants to Mauritius.
At the end of the meeting, he formally invited the Mauritian Labour Minister to visit Bangladesh.
Welcoming the proposal, Mauritius Labour Minister Muhammad Reza Cassam Uteem said that the Mauritian government is highly interested in recruiting skilled workers from Bangladesh, particularly for the country’s one-stop textile industry, which requires a large number of skilled personnel.
He assured the Bangladeshi side that a draft MoU aimed at reopening the labour market would soon be sent to the Government of Bangladesh.
He also expressed Mauritius’s strong interest in investing in Bangladesh’s textile sector alongside efforts to create employment opportunities.
Other members of the Bangladeshi delegation attending the bilateral meeting included Labour and Employment Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafdar, Bangladesh Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Switzerland Nahida Sobhan, Deputy Secretary Mohammad Shamsul Islam, Senior Assistant Secretary Md Mahbubul Islam and First Secretary of the Bangladesh Mission Md. Aminul Islam. PID