Sangsad Bhaban, June 11 -- Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Thursday said prolonged instability in the Middle East may adversely affect employment opportunities abroad, income flows, and the continuity of remittance inflows.

If this trend persists, the Finance Minister said it may emerge as a matter of serious concern for the external sector and labour market stability.

He said although remittance receipts have not yet shown any negative impact, early signs of pressure are being observed in manpower deployment.

For instance, he said, while around 95,000 workers departed for overseas employment in January 2026, this number declined to around 44,000 in March.

Unveiling the national budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 in P...