Bangladesh aims to resume sending workers to Malaysia by the last week of August, according to Prime Minister’s Advisor on Overseas Employment Mahdi Amin.
He said Bangladesh and Malaysia have reached a policy-level agreement to reopen the labour market under a new framework focused on transparency and accountability.
During the initial phase, priority is expected to be given to sending workers through the state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL).
“At the same time, efforts are under way to make the recruitment process under the existing memorandum of understanding more effective and competitive,” he said.
Mahdi made the remarks at a press briefing at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday afternoon. Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury was also present.
The briefing followed a series of meetings held from Jul 28 to 30 between a high-level Bangladeshi delegation, led by Mahdi and the minister, and Malaysian Human Resources Minister Ramanan Ramakrishnan along with officials of relevant government agencies.
Mahdi said the interim government had submitted a list of 423 recruiting agencies to the Malaysian government.
Under the existing memorandum of understanding, the Malaysian authorities will complete their own verification process before deciding how many agencies will receive final approval.
He said the Bangladesh government had clearly informed Malaysia that it would not support the inclusion of any individual or organisation accused of corruption, irregularities, syndicate-based operations or unethical practices committed during the previous “fascist government”.
“The government’s goal is to establish an open, competitive, accountable and syndicate-free recruitment system so that workers can secure employment in Malaysia at lower cost and without harassment.”
Mahdi said officials from the relevant ministries of both countries, the two high commissions and technical-level representatives would finalise procedural issues within the next few weeks.
Details of migration costs, recruitment procedures and the new operational framework will be announced officially at a later stage, he added.
Describing Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia as one of the key pillars of bilateral economic relations, the advisor said their labour had made a significant contribution to Malaysia’s industrial and infrastructure development, while the remittances they send home remain one of the main driving forces of the national economy.
The prime minister’s spokesperson said the foundation of Bangladesh-Malaysia relations was laid during the tenure of the late president Ziaur Rahman, while the first export of Bangladeshi manpower to Malaysia began under the government of former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
After assuming office, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman chose Malaysia as one of the destinations of his first overseas visit, reflecting the government’s priority to further strengthen and deepen bilateral ties.
Mahdi said Bangladesh-Malaysia relations had now evolved into a multidimensional strategic partnership. Beyond labour migration, cooperation between the two countries continues to expand in trade, investment, technology transfer, energy, education, healthcare, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury was also present at the event.
Malaysia, one of Asia’s emerging economies, is among the leading destinations for Bangladeshi migrant workers.
According to official figures, between 800,000 and 900,000 Bangladeshis are currently employed there legally, while several thousand others are believed to be living in the country without legal status.
Bangladeshi workers are mainly employed in manufacturing, construction, palm oil plantations, agriculture, the service sector and as cleaners.
However, many workers have faced difficulties due to recruitment syndicates, excessive migration costs, opaque recruitment practices and the dominance of a limited number of recruiting agencies.
On May 31, 2024, Malaysia suspended new recruitment of foreign workers from Bangladesh and several other countries. Workers who failed to enter Malaysia within the stipulated deadline had their recruitment approvals cancelled.
The two countries have since held several rounds of discussions on reopening Malaysia’s labour market for Bangladeshi workers. The process gained momentum following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Malaysia in June.