Thousands of Bangladeshi workers have returned home from Saudi Arabia after losing their jobs in recent months, sources said.
Many others are in panic of being redundant.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the largest market for Bangladeshi workers, recently banned 12 categories of jobs for foreign workers.
Following the restrictions, the Bangladeshis who went to the KSA with individual visas have been affected.
According to the welfare desk at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, more than 14,000 workers have come home in the past eight months from the KSA.
According to rights activists, 100 workers return home losing their jobs in the Arab country on average daily.
The influx of the workers may rise further as many will lose jobs within the next three months as the KSA is implementing its restrictions in phases, they said.
Saudi labour and social development ministry banned foreign workers under 12 categories last January.
The ban came into effect in September.
Hiring expatriate workers for car and motorbike showrooms, ready-made clothes stores, home and office furniture stores, and home appliance and utensil stores has been restricted.
Electronic stores, watch and clock stores and optics stores will be brought under the ban in November, according to the ministry's announcement.
Medical equipment and supply stores, building material stores, auto spare parts stores, carpet stores and sweet shops will come under the ban in January 2019.
Many workers staying in Saudi Arabia told the FE that the authorities have already started to phase out foreign workers from six sectors.
Many workers have already left the kingdom, said Prince Gilman, a Bangladeshi who works at a watch shop there.
He told the FE over phone that he is in fear of losing his job as his company will go to implement the government instruction from November.
"I'm already looking for a job. But it's very difficult to find one in Saudi Arabia now," Mr Gilman mentioned.
"Six other Bangladeshi colleagues are also worried as they may have to face the same fate," he said.
His gentleman employer has no option but to execute the government order, Mr Gilman added.
Many foreign companies have also closed their business for multiple reasons, said another Bangladeshi, Shafikul Islam, who had business in Saudi Arabia.
He came home from the oil-rich job destination country 10 months back. He had a burka store in Makkah, lived with full family there.
After imposing a higher amount of levy by the government, it was very tough for Mr Islam to continue his business and maintain family there.
Besides, the wage for a Saudi salesperson is much higher than that of a foreigner. So, it was also difficult to run his business, he said.
"I lived in Saudi Arabia for 25 years. I earned a lot of money. But in the past five years, my business was going down for rising expenses," Mr Islam added.
Currently, each expatriate has to pay SAR 10,000 or more than Tk 220,000 per year, he mentioned.
When contacted, officials at Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh said those who are coming with individual visas are facing more uncertainty in the matters of employment.
Overseas jobseekers should be careful when coming to the KSA as jobs are not available here, they warned.
In the past two years, Bangladesh sent the highest number of workers to Saudi Arabia.
Of the 1.0 million workers, some 551,308 went there in 2017, according to manpower bureau data.
In the past eight months of 2018, the KSA recruited 172,379 workers from Bangladesh, the figure said.
However, expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry officials said they do not know about the recent influx of workers.
Wishing anonymity, a senior official said workers usually return home after expiry of their contract.
Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, secretary general of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies, said Bangladesh has been depending on its traditional job markets for long.
"A large number of workers have gone to Saudi Arabia. But every market has a capacity. So, we have to explore new markets," he told the FE.
Faruque Ahmed, secretary general of WARBE Development Foundation, suggested that the authorities strictly check job demand there.
About 1.5 million Bangladeshis, most of them with individual visas, are working in Saudi Arabia in different trades.
Bangladesh received the highest amount of remittance from the Middle-Eastern country.
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