Brunei eyes low-cost recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, targets 10,000 jobs annually
DHAKA, October 19, 2026 — Brunei Darussalam is keen to recruit Bangladeshi workers at affordable costs through a transparent and regulated process, with around 10,000 Bangladeshis expected to find employment in the Southeast Asian country annually, officials of the Brunei mission in Dhaka have told The Shuttle Times.
The High Commission in Dhaka said the Brunei mission is working closely with Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), the state-run overseas employment agency, to ensure maximum facilities for Bangladeshi job seekers.
“We want a job seeker to go at minimum cost and through a hassle-free process,” a high official said, stressing the importance of making recruitment procedures easier to understand.
The mission plans to translate its website into Bangla to help prospective migrant workers understand the recruitment process, requirements and associated fees, he added.
The official also urged job seekers to consult the mission’s official consular services website for relevant information before proceeding with overseas employment applications.
The website is available at: https://www.mfa.gov.bn/bangladesh-dhaka/SitePages/consularservices.aspx
Bangladesh and Brunei have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at facilitating low-cost labour migration and preventing visa trading and irregular recruitment practices.
Under the agreed framework, recruitment is to be carried out through agreements between BOESL and interested recruitment agencies licensed by the Brunei government. The arrangement is intended to bring recruitment costs under control and facilitate the deployment of workers across different occupations.
Officials have stressed the need for greater transparency in recruitment, particularly to protect workers from excessive fees, fraudulent job offers and exploitative intermediaries.
A significant number of Bangladeshi workers have reportedly been sent to Brunei through questionable arrangements, including the use of business or other contractual routes under the guise of labour migration.
Such practices have left many workers jobless or without the jobs they were promised, despite paying substantial amounts to secure overseas employment. Some have returned to Bangladesh empty-handed, while others have reportedly fallen victim to human trafficking.
An official familiar with the recruitment process said workers currently pay an average of around Tk 4 lakh each to migrate to Brunei through existing recruitment channels.
The high upfront costs, combined with low wages and cases of workers not receiving the jobs they were promised, make it difficult for many migrants to recover their expenses within their employment contracts.
As a result, some workers become trapped in debt, undermining the economic benefits of overseas employment for themselves and their families.
The official said migration costs could be brought below Tk 1 lakh if workers were recruited through the proper channels.
The cost could fall further to around Tk 50,000–60,000 per worker if direct flights between Dhaka and Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei’s capital, were introduced, he added.
However, the proposed cost reductions would depend on the recruitment arrangements, airfare and other associated expenses.
Brunei is preparing to undertake new projects that could create additional employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers, according to mission officials.
The country is also seeking workers for tourism-related developments and housing projects, potentially opening opportunities for Bangladeshis in construction, services and other sectors, depending on employers’ requirements.
The projected annual recruitment of around 10,000 Bangladeshis could provide a significant opportunity to expand Bangladesh’s overseas labour market, provided recruitment is conducted through transparent channels and workers receive fair wages and appropriate working conditions.
For Bangladesh, expanding access to Brunei’s labour market could help diversify overseas employment opportunities beyond traditional destinations. But the benefits will depend on whether workers can secure genuine jobs without taking on excessive migration-related debt.
Migration rights activists have called for the inclusion of clear safeguards in the bilateral MoU and related recruitment agreements to protect Bangladeshi workers.
They said recruitment costs, wages, working hours, job descriptions and other employment conditions should be explicitly stated before workers leave Bangladesh.
Clear provisions on employers’ responsibilities, contract enforcement and remedies for recruitment fraud would also help prevent exploitation, they argued.
The activists emphasised that reducing migration costs alone would not be sufficient unless workers were guaranteed legitimate employment and protection against deceptive recruitment practices.
A transparent recruitment system involving BOESL, authorised agencies and the relevant government authorities could help ensure that Bangladeshis migrating to Brunei receive the jobs and working conditions they were promised.
For prospective workers, officials' advice remains to verify recruitment information through authorised channels and consult the Brunei mission's official website before paying fees or committing to an overseas job.
