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The cost of migration for Malaysia-bound Bangladeshi workers would come down under a proposed recruitment process, according to a decision of a joint working group meeting on Wednesday.
Besides, the market is expected to be opened within a short period of time while all the eligible manpower recruitment agencies will be entitled to send workers there.
The second Bangladesh-Malaysia joint working group meeting was held at the Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in the city. The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment (EWOE) Secretary Rownaq Jahan briefed the journalists after the meeting.
An official having knowledge about the development told the FE that Bangladeshi workers would be able go to Malaysia with almost zero migration cost. The employers will bear all the relevant expenses.
Referring to the meeting, he said that the employers will hire workers through authorised recruitment agencies of Malaysia. Otherwise, they can recruit directly through the Bangladeshi recruitment agencies.
Currently, the official cost of migration for Malaysia-bound workers is Tk 160,000 each. But the recruiters charge around Tk 350,000 each to send a worker to this job destination country.
At the press briefing, the EWOE secretary said that both the countries have agreed to lessen the migration cost.
"We reached a common understanding in reducing the cost of migration," said Ms Jahan, who led the Bangladesh team of senior officials in the meeting.
As Malaysia needs workers, the country will open its door within a short period of time, she expressed the hope.
Replying to a query, the top official of the ministry said that there is no scope for syndication and all the recruiters will get equal opportunities in sending workers to Malaysia.
Mdm. Betty Hassan, undersecretary of policy division, Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia, led a six-member delegation in the meeting.
The Malaysian government had stopped issuing demand letter for Bangladeshi workers from September 01due to alleged syndication of only 10 recruiters.
The first joint working group meeting was held on September 25 in Putrajaya of Malaysia. The meeting then decided to allow all recruiting agencies to send workers to the Southeast Asian country.
The meeting also expressed the optimism to start calling visas for Bangladeshi workers and regularising the undocumented workers.
Shahidul Islam, Bangladesh High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur, Salim Reza, director general of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training, Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, additional secretary of the EWOW, among others, were present at the meeting.
About 0.2 million Bangladeshi workers went to Malaysia through SPPA since signing of the G-to-G plus deal in 2016. Approximately 0.9 million Bangladeshi workers are staying in Malaysia at present, sources said.