Comprehensive database for migrant workers launched with IOM support

The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) on Monday launched a digital platform named “Returning Migrants Management of Information Systems” (ReMiMIS) to collect, analyse, and store data of returning migrants to Bangladesh.

To address the needs of a nationwide returnee database, International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supporting the government of Bangladesh to develop the ReMiMIS under the project titled "Sustainable Reintegration and Migration Governance in Bangladesh", known as Prottasha, funded by the European Union (EU).

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the sustainable reintegration of the returnees and the progressive achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 10.7 to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people including through the implementation of planned and well-managed policies in Bangladesh.
The comprehensive ReMIMIS system will contribute to better migration data management and development of targeted reintegration support programs.

In addition, stakeholders will have access to information on the skills profiles of returning migrants and potentially contribute to skills transfers to communities/ sectors in demand.

The data will support policymakers to understand the needs and vulnerabilities of returning migrant workers and help facilitate the creation of targeted and evidence-based reintegration and safety-net programmes.

The Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), custodian of the ReMIMIS, will work closely with Union Development Centers (UDC), District Employment and Manpower Offices (DEMOs) to input migrants' data into the system.

Launching the digital platform at an event at BMET, the MoEWOE Minister Imran Ahmad, MP, said the need for a database on returning migrants became essential after the outbreak of Covid-19.

"The database will help us target support to those in need and with greater knowledge on their skills and qualifications, we will be able to utilize them instead of them becoming a burden on the state," he added.

"We invested in skills training of migrants prior to their migration and on their return we should put those skills to good use. I believe the ReMiMIS platform will support targeted reintegration and improved migration governance," the minister added.

The Secretary of the Ministry Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen said ReMIMIS is another example of the commitment of the Ministry towards responsible migration from Bangladesh and digitalization of migration governance.

"I will encourage stakeholders to make use of this system so that we can have access to up-to-date data and use this tool to better support our migration management," he also added.

Director General of BMET Md Shamsul Alam remarked that the pilot initiative will enable stakeholders to identify vulnerable migrants, including those who have returned due to the Covid-19 crisis. It will also help support their access to migration services and other support mechanisms.

Chief of Mission of IOM Bangladesh Giorgi Gigauri said ReMIMIS is a good example of the government's pledge to ensure regular, orderly, and safe migration from Bangladesh.

"We applaud the government's ongoing effort to develop a migration management system that generates new evidence, contributes to improved protection of migrant workers, and enables communities to benefit from the dividends of migration", he said.

Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh H.E. Rensje Teerink remarked ReMiMiS will allow the government, in particular its final beneficiary, the BMET, to have a clear overview of the status of returnees by age, sex, education, country of destination and skills.

"This will facilitate the work of the EU, implementing partners and government agencies to reach their target population. But most importantly it will also help in the government in the long run to develop solid evidence-based policies to ensure that returnees contribute to the economic development of Bangladesh," she added.

Officials from 42 District Employment and Manpower Offices (DEMO) and 22 Technical Training Center (TTC) received Training of Trainer (ToT) on ReMiMIS in September 2020, and altogether, a total of 125 participants were trained and engaged in a two week-piloting of the MIS. 

Government officials at DEMOs, TTCs, and UDCs will collect data of returning migrants. The database will be managed by BMET in coordination with the Wage Earners Welfare Board. 

Nearly 11 million Bangladeshi are working in 165 countries as expatriates and over half a million Bangladeshis leave the country each year to seek employment overseas. Around 4 lakh Bangladeshi migrants returned home during the pandemic.