Malaysia reopens labour market for Bangladeshi workers

Malaysia has reopened its labour market to Bangladeshi workers following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman‍‍`s recent visit, with the government expecting worker recruitment to resume within the next one to two months at no cost to migrants.

Expatriates‍‍` Welfare Minister Ariful Haque announced the development at the Sylhet Circuit House on Tuesday afternoon.

The minister said the government also expects positive developments soon regarding labour markets in the Middle East, Japan and Mauritius.

Under the new arrangement, Bangladesh—not Malaysia—will select the recruiting agencies. Officials say the move is intended to curb syndicates and corruption, with the government and recruiting agencies expected to work closely to ensure a transparent recruitment process. Analysts, however, warned that failure to maintain transparency could once again undermine Bangladesh‍‍`s overseas employment sector.

Malaysia first suspended the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in 2008 over allegations of irregularities and corruption. Although the labour market reopened in 2016, recruitment was halted again in 2018 following similar allegations.

The market reopened once more in August 2022, allowing Bangladeshi workers to resume employment in Malaysia. However, Malaysia suspended new recruitment from Bangladesh again on June 1, 2024, after which the two countries continued discussions on easing various conditions for worker recruitment.

Meanwhile, the state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) has been tasked with sending 7,873 workers who were unable to travel to Malaysia in 2024. So far, around 3,000 of them have reached Malaysia, while stakeholders have called for a swift decision on the remaining workers.

The issue of restoring employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia also featured prominently during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman‍‍`s recent visit to the country. Following discussions between the two governments, Malaysia announced the reopening of its labour market after resolving legal and procedural issues.