What does “জনশক্তি” mean in Bengali?

Literally “people-power,” জনশক্তি does not mean popular protest. In Bangladeshi usage it is the labour force sent abroad — the migrant workers whose remittances underwrite the economy. It sits in a fixed set of policy words beside বাণিজ্য (trade) and বিনিয়োগ (investment), and surfaces whenever Bangladesh’s ties with a Gulf state come up.

The government body for it is the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training — in Bengali, জনশক্তি, কর্মসংস্থান ও প্রশিক্ষণ ব্যুরো. The standard collocation is জনশক্তি রপ্তানি, “manpower export.” This clip uses it in exactly that register, naming trade, investment and জনশক্তি as the three pillars of the Bangladesh–Kuwait relationship.