Dhaka, Oct. 6 -- Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia on Monday signed their first formal labour recruitment agreement, aimed at ensuring fair hiring practices and safeguarding the rights of workers.

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Prof Asif Nazrul and Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Engineer Ahmad Bin Solaiman Al-Rajhi signed the deal in the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Although Saudi Arabia has been recruiting workers from Bangladesh since 1976, this is the first general labour agreement between the two countries.

Previously, two special agreements were in place-one signed in 2015 for domestic workers, and another in 2022 regarding skill verification.

Experts believe the new agreement will boost the ...