Bangladesh eyes the reopening of the labour market in Bahrain as the market remains virtually closed since the Gulf country has imposed a temporary ban on recruitment of Bangladeshi workers following killing of a Bahraini Imam by a mentally retarded Bangladeshi on August 4, 2018, sources in Dhaka and Manama said.

Bangladesh started exporting labour to Bahrain back in 1976 and until 2024, the country exported a total of 410,485 workers to the Gulf country, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

Bahrain’s economy is projected to remain at 3.00 percent growth in 2024 but accelerate to 3.5 percent growth in 2025, supported by manufacturing and private sector credit expansion, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.

The medium-term real GDP growth is projected at around 3 percent, driven by non-hydrocarbon GDP, which will account for close to 90 percent of the economy by 2029.

Inflation is expected to rise to 1.2 percent this year before gradually converging to 2 percent.

However, uncertainty and downside risks remain high, including potential escalation and expansion of regional conflicts, commodity price volatility and greater geo-economic fragmentation.

The IMF called for fiscal efforts to continue beyond the conclusion of the fiscal balance programme (FBP) this year to reduce government debt significantly over the medium term. The FBP target was set at 40 percent in 2023.

Bangladesh exported a total of 811 workers to Bahrain in 2018, a total of 133 workers in 2019, three workers in 2020, 11 workers in 2021, 10 workers in 2022 and one worker in 2023. Bangladesh did not export a single worker to Bahrain in 2024.

Meanwhile, despite the government of Bahrain's declaration of amnesty in 2015 and once again in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, a large number of Bangladesh expats still remain illegal. The number  of irregular expats is around 20,000…..As per the latest statistics of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), the number of Bangladeshis in Bahrain is around 155,587  and the vast majority is individual workers, according to a paper.

Bangladesh government will send Md Rais Hasan Sarowar as next Ambassador to the Gulf country soon who is expected to explore potentials of labour market and investment, sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. 

The post of top Bangladesh diplomat in Bahrain remains vacant since 2024, sources said.   

Meanwhile, eighty-two per cent of expats in Bahrain are working in jobs avoided by locals, with most earning less than 200 dinars a month, the Ministry of Labour of Oman has revealed.

Responding to a parliamentary investigation into Bahrainisation, the ministry said the labour market depends heavily on foreign workers in low-skilled roles. It pointed out that 72 per cent of expats earn below 200 dinars, while only 7 per cent are in highly skilled jobs earning more than 600 dinars.

The ministry of Bahrain provided a detailed breakdown, showing that 350,000 expats—making up 74 per cent of the foreign workforce—are employed in sectors such as construction, restaurants, hotels, workshops, and garages. Most of these workers have qualifications no higher than high school.

Meanwhile Most recently, the Charge D’ Affairs of the Bangladesh embassy in Manama AKM Mohiuddin Kayes  called on Ministry of Industry and Commerce  of Bahrain Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro on May  08, 2024 and once again on January 08, 2025 and showed interests in  Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the trade relations between Bahrain and Bangladesh remain untapped as two-way trade between the two counties stood at only 40 million US dollars in the 2022-23 fiscal year. Bahrain exported goods worth 30 million US dollars while Bangladesh exported goods 10 million US dollars during the same period.  

Business leaders expect that trade is likely to reach 60 million US dollars within the next 5-10 years.

Bangladesh mainly exports goods such as clothing and other fabrics, frozen food, agricultural products, jute goods, ceramics and melamine to Bahrain.

Bahrain exports petrochemical products, aluminum, copper wires, metal-ware, unbleached woven cotton fabrics, scraps of paper and paperboard and bituminous based natural asphalts to Bangladesh …

This heinous killing had a significant negative impact on the bilateral relations of the two counties. Following this incident, as well as many other criminal offences that Bangladesh were often found to be associated with, the Bahrain government became very strict on matters of granting visas and family visas to Bangladesh nationals, said a paper prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Imams in Bahrain belong to very respectable families, including AL Khalifa families.

Though Bangladesh has been maintaining a resident mission in the Kingdom for over 40 years,  Bahrain is yet to do the same in Bangladesh. The issue of the exchange of diplomatic plots has been a long pending one.  Bangladesh government allocated a plot of 4554 square metres to Bahrain in 1992 to set up a permanent mission in Dhaka. However, it is still expected that both Bangladesh and  Bahrain are willing to exchange plots as reciprocity and a gesture of respect and appreciation, said a paper of the Ministry of Foreign affairs.

Diplomatic efforts are still ongoing to establish a Bahrain Embassy in Dhaka. Former Bangladesh Ambassador to Bahrain Md Nazrul Islam called on Foreign Minister of Bahrain in 2022 and proposed that if it is currently not financially feasible to set up an embassy, then an honorary consul maybe appointed at the very least. The Bahrain FM responded positively.

Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population.

The current population of Bahrain in 2025 is 1,511,676, a 0.87% increase from 2024. The population of Bahrain in 2024 was 1,498,712, a 0.89% increase from 2023. The population of Bahrain in 2023 was 1,485,509, a 0.9% increase from 2022. The population of Bahrain in 2022 was 1,472,233, a 0.61% increase from 2021.