Dhaka, Oct. 6 -- Bangladesh and oil-rich Saudi Arabia have signed a bilateral labour agreement for the first time, a move expected to substantially expand Bangladesh's overseas employment market.

Although Bangladesh has been sending workers to Saudi Arabia informally since 1976, no formal agreement on general worker recruitment existed until now.

The expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry says only two specific agreements were signed earlier -- one in 2015 covering domestic workers and another in 2022 on skill verification.

The new deal is expected to boost the recruitment of skilled workers from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia while ensuring "greater" protection of the rights and interests of both employees and employers, th...