Mauritius

Mauritius is a real, active labour migration corridor for Bangladeshi workers — and it has documented forced labour exploitation. Both facts must be understood together.

THE CORRIDOR:

Approximately **24,000+ Bangladeshi workers** are employed in Mauritius, primarily in textiles, garment manufacturing, construction, and bakeries. This represents a **fivefold increase** over 14 years. Out of approximately **35,820 total foreign migrant workers** in Mauritius, Bangladeshi nationals constitute the largest single national group. This is a real, ongoing labour migration — not a theoretical score.

THE EXPLOITATION:

Mauritius's textile and garment sector — the primary employer of Bangladeshi workers — has documented forced-labour violations that have triggered international enforcement action:

**US CBP Withhold Release Order (November 2025):** US Customs and Border Protection issued a WRO against **Firemount Group** (Mauritius garment manufacturer) for forced labour. This is the same enforcement mechanism used against Malaysian factories — it blocks goods made with forced labour from entering the US market. The WRO followed investigations by **Transparentem**, which documented forced-labour conditions across **four garment factories** in Mauritius producing for global brands.

**Compensation settlements:** Following the Transparentem findings, brands paid **$420,593 in total compensation** to **637 affected workers** — PVH (Calvin Klein/Tommy Hilfiger) paid $390,456, Barbour contributed $19,523, and Second Clothing $10,614.

**US Department of Labor (2024):** The US DOL added Mauritius garments to its **List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor**, citing forced labour of adult migrant workers in the garment sector.

**Government-identified victims:** The Mauritius government identified **9 Bangladeshi men** as victims of forced labour in the textile sector during 2018-2019.

**Tex Knits (2019):** Bangladeshi workers were stranded in Mauritius without pay or food after the **Tex Knits factory** closed, leaving them with no means to return home or sustain themselves.

**Forced-labour indicators documented in Mauritius include:**
- Debt bondage: Workers pay recruitment fees to Bangladeshi brokers, creating debt that takes months or years to repay from wages
- Passport confiscation: Employers or intermediaries retaining workers' travel documents
- Excessive overtime under threat of deportation
- Substandard dormitory housing with restricted movement
- Wage theft: Workers receiving less than contracted amounts, or wages withheld

WHY THE SCORE IS NOT MISLEADING (BUT REQUIRES CONTEXT):

Mauritius scores 15 because it IS genuinely relevant — real BD workers, real BD embassy, real English-language functionality. But the score cannot be read as "this is a good destination." The exploitation findings mean every prospective worker must understand the risks BEFORE accepting a placement.

ECONOMIC CONTEXT:

Mauritius has a GDP per capita of approximately **$11,872** (2024, nominal) — about 4.4 times Bangladesh's level. Population approximately **1.3 million**. The Mauritian Rupee (MUR) is the national currency. The economy is driven by textiles/garments (the sector employing most BD workers), tourism, financial services (offshore banking hub), and seafood processing. Mauritius has a reputation as one of Africa's most stable and well-governed countries, with strong democratic institutions and rule of law — which makes the forced-labour findings particularly notable, as they occur within an otherwise well-functioning legal framework.

US TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS: **Tier 2** (2025). The TIP Report documents forced labour of migrant workers in the textile/garment sector, with Bangladeshi nationals among the most affected. The government has taken some enforcement action but investigations and prosecutions remain insufficient relative to the scale of the problem.

The Active Jobs section above shows the current live count for Mauritius.

The Active Jobs section above shows the current live count for Mauritius.

Mauritius has a diversified economy (~$14 billion GDP). Key sectors employing foreign workers: **textiles and garments** (largest employer of BD workers — produces for global brands including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Barbour), **construction**, **bakeries and food processing**, **seafood processing**, and **tourism/hospitality**. GDP per capita approximately $11,872.

The textile sector has been Mauritius's primary manufacturing industry since the 1980s Export Processing Zone era. While the sector has contracted from its peak, it remains a major employer and the primary pull factor for Bangladeshi labour migration.

Approximately **24,000+ Bangladeshi workers** are currently employed in Mauritius. The total foreign migrant workforce is approximately **35,820**. Bangladeshi nationals are the largest single foreign-worker nationality.

Mauritius's GDP per capita is approximately $11,872 (2024, nominal) — about 4.4 times Bangladesh's level. The Mauritian Rupee (MUR) is the national currency.

WAGE CONTEXT FOR BD WORKERS:
Mauritius has a national minimum wage of MUR 15,000/month (~$330/month at current rates). Garment-sector wages typically range from MUR 12,000-20,000/month ($260-440). Construction wages may be higher. However, actual take-home pay is often reduced by:
- Deductions for dormitory accommodation (often substandard)
- Deductions for food
- Recruitment-fee debt repayments
- Overtime that is unpaid or underpaid

The gap between contracted wages and actual take-home pay is a documented exploitation vector. Workers report receiving significantly less than their contracts specify.

REMITTANCE POTENTIAL:
Even at face-value wages, Mauritius does not offer the same remittance premium as Gulf destinations. At $260-440/month gross, minus living deductions, actual remittance capacity may be $100-250/month. Workers must weigh this against recruitment fees that can reach $3,000-5,000.

Mauritius hosts approximately **24,000+ Bangladeshi workers** — the largest foreign-worker nationality in the country. The community has grown **fivefold over 14 years**, reflecting sustained demand for migrant labour in textiles, construction, and food processing.

Unlike the South African BD community (self-employed traders), Mauritius BD workers are primarily **employer-dependent contract workers**. This makes them structurally more vulnerable to exploitation — their legal status, housing, and right to remain are tied to their employer. Workers who complain about conditions risk deportation.

The community is concentrated in industrial zones: **Curepipe, Quatre Bornes, Vacoas-Phoenix** (textile factory areas), and scattered across construction sites island-wide.

BD High Commission Port Louis: portlouis.mofa.gov.bd. This is a resident mission (not non-resident coverage). The High Commission has handled cases of worker distress, wage theft, and stranded workers (e.g., Tex Knits 2019 closure).