Malaysia will resume recruitment of Bangladeshi workers from the last week of August, Prime Minister’s Adviser and spokesperson Mahdi Amin said on Thursday.
“We have set a realistic target so that Bangladeshi workers can start travelling to Malaysia from the last week of August,” he said at a press conference at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Labour and Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury was also present at the press conference.
Mahdi thanked the Malaysian government for taking steps to reopen the labour market after a prolonged suspension, expressing gratitude to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan and other relevant authorities for their cooperation.
He said the government’s efforts have been guided by the principle of “Bangladesh First” to protect the interests of the country’s large workforce, expressing hope that the resumption of worker migration would make a significant contribution to Bangladesh’s economy in the long run.
Mahdi urged aspiring migrant workers to remain patient and follow official procedures, warning them against middlemen and fraudulent syndicates.
He said the government would take strict action against brokers and dishonest recruitment networks to ensure that workers are not subjected to harassment or exploitation.
The adviser said technical-level work between the two countries would begin shortly, with the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka working jointly to facilitate the process.
He added that the Malaysian Human Resources Ministry and Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment are also working to make the recruitment process more transparent and efficient.
Mahdi said Malaysia would soon announce the detailed procedures for workers’ recruitment, while the Bangladesh High Commission has been instructed to become more service-oriented and accessible to migrant workers.
He said the government requested Malaysia to give priority to state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) in the first phase of recruitment in a bid to reduce migration costs and ensure transparency.
Referring to the list of 423 recruiting agencies submitted to Malaysia during the tenure of the interim government, Mahdi said the Malaysian authorities would determine the final number of agencies based on their own verification process under the existing memorandum of understanding, which remains valid until December.
He said Bangladesh requested Malaysia to include the highest possible number of eligible recruiting agencies, given that Malaysia remains one of the largest overseas employment destinations for Bangladeshi workers.
Mahdi also said agencies and individuals involved in corruption, unethical practices or recruitment syndicates had already had their licences cancelled by Bangladesh, and such entities would not be included in the new recruitment framework.
He said the government’s priority was to resume manpower exports to Malaysia quickly while reducing migration costs, ensuring transparency and promoting skilled migration.
Highlighting broader bilateral cooperation, Mahdi said Bangladesh and Malaysia were also discussing trade and investment, technology transfer, education, healthcare and cultural exchanges, as well as expanding investments by Malaysian companies in Bangladesh.
He said the two countries were exploring cooperation in the energy sector, including discussions on how Malaysia’s state-owned energy company, Petronas, could help address Bangladesh’s gas shortage.
Mahdi noted that the reopening of the labour market followed a series of productive meetings over the past three months between officials of the two countries, culminating in recent talks with Malaysia’s Human Resources Ministry.
Mahdi and Minister Ariful are in Malaysia on a three-day official visit and are scheduled to return to Dhaka early Friday.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury and other officials of the High Commission also attended the press conference.