Malaysia to recruit 200,000 Bangladeshi workers

Malaysia is expected to recruit approximately 200,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next six months across various sectors. According to Bangladesh Deputy Minister Mir Shahe Alam, the phased recruitment process is slated to begin at the end of this month. Of this total, an estimated 10,000 workers will be recruited at no cost.

While the labor market expands, concerns have been raised regarding recruitment syndicates in Bangladesh. Reports indicate that new tactics are being used by agencies to bypass previous restrictions. Data suggests that 17 of the 25 agencies recently selected to send workers to Malaysia have no prior experience in the Malaysian market. There are warnings that these syndicates may charge workers between Tk 600,000 and Tk 700,000 to secure employment.

The recruitment drive follows discussions between high-level officials from both nations. Currently, there are approximately 800,000 registered Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, though many remain unregistered. The Malaysian government maintains policies to ensure foreign labor employment remains controlled, with targets to reduce the proportion of foreign workers in the national workforce by 2030.