A bilateral labour migration agreement between Bangladesh and Greece has failed to attract the number of workers the two governments expected, InfoMigrants reports. The deal, designed to open legal employment channels for Bangladeshi workers in Greece, is drawing only weak interest from the very people it was meant to serve.

The agreement set out to channel Bangladeshi jobseekers into the Greek labour market through official, state-supervised recruitment. Instead of long queues at recruitment offices, Dhaka has watched applications fall short of the corridor's promise. Workers appear to be weighing their options and, for now, many are choosing other destinations.

What does this change for Bangladeshi workers?

For prospective migrants, the practical stakes are straightforward. A functioning Bangladesh–Greece corridor would offer a legal route to employment in an EU member state, with the protections and documentation that informal channels cannot provide. A corridor that fails to fill its places leaves those same workers relying on older pathways — Gulf labour markets, other European routes, or unlicensed intermediaries.

The slow uptake also tests the underlying logic of the agreement. Bilateral labour deals work only when both sides deliver: Greece must offer real jobs at real wages, and Bangladesh must supply candidates who trust the process enough to apply. Weak applicant numbers suggest that at least one side of that bargain is not convincing workers on the ground.

Why do workers hesitate?

InfoMigrants, which first reported the story, points to the gap between the agreement on paper and recruitment in practice. Labour migration corridors compete in an open market of destinations. Bangladeshi workers compare wages, costs, recruitment fees, working conditions and the track record of each route before committing. Where a new corridor has no established reputation — no returned workers telling success stories, no proven employer records — applicants stay cautious.

Greece itself has recently positioned labour migration as part of its answer to domestic shortages and to irregular arrivals, signing agreements with several origin countries. Bangladesh, one of the world's largest labour-sending countries, has pursued similar deals across Asia and Europe. On paper, the pairing reads logical. In practice, signing a memorandum and filling a plane are different tasks.

What happens next?

The two governments have not abandoned the framework. Whether uptake improves will depend on the details that shape every worker's decision: contract terms, wage levels, recruitment costs, and how transparently the selection process runs. Observers of the corridor will watch whether Dhaka and Athens adjust those terms in response to the weak demand.

Readers tracking this route should rely on official channels for any application or eligibility information. Bangladesh's Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training and Greece's competent migration authorities remain the authoritative sources for the agreement's terms, quotas and procedures as they evolve.