Dhaka, Oct. 7 -- In a major boost to country's overseas employment prospects, Dhaka and Riyadh have signed their first-ever formal agreement on recruiting general workers, a milestone in their 50-year diplomatic relationship.

The agreement was signed in Riyadh between Dr. Asif Nazrul, Adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, and Saudi Arabia's Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Engineer Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi.Stakeholders said that such agreement would contribute a positive impact in the labour market of Bangladesh.

Although Saudi Arabia has been Bangladesh's largest labour market since 1976, no formal framework for recruiting general workers existed until now. Previous accords in 20...