Why are highly educated people choosing blue-collar jobs abroad?

July 15, 2024

DHAKA – According to the records of a government-initiated overseas recruitment app, Ami Probashi, 50,000 registered applicants for blue-collar jobs such as labourers, drivers, and cleaners hold graduate and postgraduate degrees. More than three-fourths of the 2,477 PhD holders have also listed menial jobs as their options to leave the country. This trend is not just a statistical oddity, but a clear sign of deep-seated issues within our local job market and the broader socioeconomic context. The interest in low-skilled jobs in conventional migrant destinations (e.g., the Middle East, Malaysia, Europe, and North America) demands closer scrutiny.

It is common for expatriates to engage in odd jobs while they are studying or use them as a toehold for better alternatives. However, accepting (read: expecting) jobs that fall short of their academic qualifications and expertise, especially in such large quantities, is concerning. Think of the social cost. In an ideal situation, when highly educated individuals leave their home country to take up low-skilled jobs abroad, that country loses out on the potential contributions they could make to different professional fields.

These individuals, from an opportunity cost perspective, forgo the possibility of securing high-paying, high-status jobs that align with their qualifications. Instead, they are more focused on their immediate need for improved living conditions and economic stability by choosing menial jobs. The opportunity cost is not just personal; it is national. This brain drain stunts the country’s growth and exacerbates the lack of qualified experts in critical industries. One might counter-argue that in a country with high unemployment, at least these