Gulf nation Qatar yesterday agreed to increase the monthly salary for the skilled Bangladeshi female migrant and domestic workers from Tk 19,350 to 25,800, said a press release of the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry.

The decision was made at a joint-working group meeting between the senior officials concerned of the two countries at Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in the capital.

Begum Shamsun Nahar, acting secretary of the expatriates' welfare, led a nine-member team, while Mohammed Ahmed M Al Atiq Al Dossary, additional director of Qatar's General Directorate of Borders Passports and Expatriates Affairs, a five-member team in the meeting.

The both sides also decided to reduce the migration costs and introduce a hotline service for the Bangladeshi migrants in the meeting.

Earlier, the Qatar delegation paid a courtesy call on Expatriates' Welfare Minister Nurul Islam at his ministry office. The minister requested them to give more employment opportunities and facilities for the Bangladeshi migrants.

The Gulf country has been recruiting construction and cleaning workers from Bangladesh. The authorities there are now keen to recruit salesmen, nurses, doctors, engineers and office employees from Bangladesh, according to the press release.

Nearly 400,000 Bangladeshi male workers and about 15,000 female workers are employed in the Gulf country. Of them, over 1.23 lakh male migrants and 8,642 female migrants found jobs in Qatar last year, according to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training.

Qatar is now the second largest destination for the Bangladeshi jobseekers after Oman.

Last month, Expatriates' Welfare Minister Nurul Islam visited Qatar when its Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani assured him of hiring more workers from Bangladesh and providing them skill training facilities. (Source / Image)