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CPD Chairman Professor Rehman Sobhan, middle, speaks at a dialogue on 'Migration and Mode 4 in health and education sector: Towards a trade and development approach' in the city yesterday. On his right is Commonwealth official Dr Roman Grynberg and on his left is former commerce minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury. PHOTO: STAR

A visiting Commonwealth official yesterday called on the developing countries like Bangladesh to establish a mechanism so that people can go to developed states for temporary jobs.

Such system will bring huge economic benefit to both sending and receiving countries and reduce the trend of illegal migration, said Dr Roman Grynberg, deputy director and head, Trade and Regional Integration Department, Economic Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

He was speaking at a dialogue on 'Migration and Mode 4 in health and education sector: Towards a trade and development approach' organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue at its auditorium in the city.

Referring to a system in Caribbean states from where thousands of workers go to Canada for seasonal jobs every year, Dr Grynberg said the developed countries would agree to hire unskilled and semi-skilled workers only if they are certain that the workers would go back home after a certain period.

He also suggested training the nurses to work abroad as the demand for such professionals is very high in the developed world.

The temporary job system would also help reduce illegal migration as around half a million people enter European countries every year illegally, he added.

Dr Grynberg, however, said the Commonwealth did not negotiate with the sending or receiving countries in this regard but provided technical support and guidelines for capacity-building of the developing nations.

Former commerce minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, former commerce secretary Alamgir Faruq Chowdhury, former governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr Farashuddin Ahmed and economist Anaynna Raihan also spoke.

Amir Khosru said the developing countries would train the workers for a particular job only after getting a secured market.

The speakers pointed out various aspects that create obstacles to movement of workers from the developing countries to the developed ones.

The developed nations do not advocate for free movement of workers fearing that it may cause social problems and cultural shock at their states, they said.