| HEADLINE |
|
BAIRA faction warns of risks to Malaysian labour market
Published : Tuesday, 22 September, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Observer online report
A faction of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) has warned that the Malaysian labour market could face renewed risks if alleged attempts by dishonest syndicates to disrupt worker recruitment are not stopped.
Members of the faction made the allegations at a press conference at the National Press Club on Monday, saying misinformation, fake demand letters and other activities were being used to undermine the recruitment process.
Atiqur Rahman Biswas, convener of the Labour Market Protection Movement, called for transparency in the worker recruitment process.
He said 25 licences were initially approved, but later all eligible licences were brought under the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS) through discussions.
“This is not syndication; the market is open to all capable and interested licence owners,” he said.
Malaysia halted the recruitment of workers from several countries, including Bangladesh, on May 31, 2024. The process of reopening the Malaysian labour market to Bangladeshi workers began in August this year after a long hiatus.
So far, 25 principal and 312 associate recruiting agencies have been approved, according to the speakers.
BAIRA members claimed that only agencies meeting the required conditions were included in the latest process. They also said no financial transactions were made with any recruiting agency for inclusion in the FWCMS.
They said 10 recruiting agencies sent workers from Bangladesh to Malaysia during 2017-18, while 101 principal and 250 associate agencies, including the Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), sent workers between August 8, 2022 and May 31, 2024.
Around 476,000 Bangladeshi workers travelled to Malaysia during that period, they said.
BAIRA former senior vice-president Abdul Gafur Bhuiyan alleged that unscrupulous groups were damaging the labour market by spreading misinformation about recruitment costs.
“Market opponents are spreading confusion by claiming it costs Tk 600,000 to Tk 800,000. This is damaging the country’s image. The host country has its own rules and regulations, and we cannot interfere with them,” he said.
The speakers also alleged that some agencies and middlemen who failed to qualify for inclusion in the previous process were now attempting to obstruct the labour market through various programmes, press conferences and misinformation.
They said Malaysia had approved 25 principal and 312 associate agencies from a list of 423 agencies submitted by Bangladesh, and the process of sending workers through the approved agencies was currently under
sks
Loading...
Loading...
Also read
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
