Malaysia to start hiring Bangladeshi workers from end-August: Mahdi Amin

Malaysia will start recruiting Bangladeshi workers again for all sectors from the last week of August, said Prime Minister’s Adviser and spokesperson Mahdi Amin. 

“Malaysia has agreed to resume hiring Bangladeshi workers for all sectors following bilateral talks and we have set a realistic target so that Bangladeshi workers can go to Malaysia from the last week of August,” he said at a press conference at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur today. 

Labour and Employment and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury was also present there.

Mahdi Amin thanked the Malaysian government, particularly Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Human Resources Minister R. Ramanan, for their cooperation in reopening the job market for Bangladesh. 

He said the decision would create employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in all sectors and significantly benefit Bangladesh's economy.

The Adviser urged prospective workers to remain patient and follow official procedures, warning against brokers and fraudulent syndicates. 

The government, he said, would work with law enforcement agencies to prevent harassment and ensure transparency throughout the recruitment process.

Technical-level work will begin shortly through joint efforts by the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia and the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka, he added.

He the two governments are also working to simplify recruitment procedures, reduce migration costs, enhance worker skills and ensure transparent recruitment.

Mahdi Amin said the state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) would get priority during the initial phase of recruitment. 

He added that Malaysia would determine the final number of recruiting agencies after screening the list of 423 agencies submitted by Bangladesh under the existing memorandum of understanding, which remains valid until December this year.

He said the government had already cancelled the licences of recruiting agencies and individuals involved in corruption and unethical practices and Bangladesh had informed Malaysia that no such individuals would be included in the new recruitment process.

Highlighting broader bilateral cooperation, Mahdi Amin said Bangladesh and Malaysia are expanding collaboration in trade, investment, technology, education, healthcare and culture. 

He also noted ongoing discussions on increasing investments by Malaysian companies, including Axiata and MMC Ports, and on potential gas supplies from Malaysia's state-owned energy company Petronas to help address Bangladesh's energy shortage.

He said recent discussions between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim further strengthened the bilateral relations, including cooperation in energy and labour.

Mahdi Amin attributed the prolonged closure of Malaysia's labour market to irregularities under the previous government but said the current administration's diplomatic efforts had successfully secured its reopening.

The adviser and the labour minister are currently on a three-day official visit to Malaysia and are scheduled to return to Dhaka tomorrow.