Mauritius Seeks to Recruit Skilled Manpower from Bangladesh

The closed labor market for Bangladeshis in Mauritius is on the verge of reopening, following a crucial bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ariful Haque Choudhury, Bangladesh’s Minister for Labour and Employment, led the Bangladeshi delegation at the talks.

The meeting took place on Monday (June 8) at 9:30 AM in a conference room at the United Nations Office in Geneva with the Mauritian Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training, Muhammad Reza Cassam Uteem.

During the session, detailed discussions were held on reviving the suspended labor market, assessing the current status of Bangladeshi workers in Mauritius, and exploring various avenues for future cooperation.

Both sides expressed optimism about signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) swiftly to officially reactivate the recruitment process.

Focus on Skilled Labor and Textile Investment
The Mauritian Labour Minister conveyed his country's keen interest in recruiting skilled manpower from Bangladesh, noting a particularly high demand for expert workers in their textile industry. He assured that a draft MoU aimed at reopening the labor market would be sent to Bangladesh shortly.

Furthermore, it was disclosed during the meeting that the Government of Mauritius is highly interested in investing directly in Bangladesh's burgeoning textile sector.

In response, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque thanked the Mauritian government and emphasized that Bangladesh is well-equipped and eager to export highly skilled professionals beyond manual labor, including doctors, engineers, nurses, and accountants, to various sectors in Mauritius.

He urged the Mauritian authorities to expedite the signing of the MoU and extended a formal invitation to his Mauritian counterpart to visit Bangladesh.

High-Level Delegations in Attendance
The Bangladeshi delegation at the bilateral meeting included Md. Abdur Rahman Tarafder, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment; Nahida Sobhan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Offices in Switzerland; Mohammad Shamsul Islam, Deputy Secretary; Md. Mahbubul Islam, Senior Assistant Secretary; and Md. Aminul Islam, First Secretary of the Bangladesh Mission in Geneva.