Zero-cost demand stalls workers recruitment to Malaysia

The process of sending Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia through private recruiting agencies remains stalled despite preparations by the agencies to meet recruitment demands from Malaysian employers following a bilateral decision to reopen the labour market.

The reopening process has effectively been put on hold as Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury insists that the first 10,000 workers be sent at “zero migration cost” through the state-run Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), according to recruiting agencies and industry stakeholders.

Stakeholders said the position has halted recruitment approvals, worker selection, medical examinations and the issuance of clearances by the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

Migration sector sources said Malaysian authorities have already allocated more than 6,000 recruitment quotas for Bangladeshi workers. Demand letters against the quotas have been submitted to the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur for attestation, with some already attested.

However, further processing has remained suspended following instructions from the ministry, raising concerns among recruiting agencies that Bangladesh could lose the opportunity to re-enter the Malaysian labour market.

Sources said Malaysian employers have already paid the required government fees and levies to secure the quotas and are waiting for workers. They have also reportedly been urging the Malaysian authorities to facilitate recruitment against the allocated quotas.

Recruiting agency owners said there is no provision in the existing memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Bangladesh and Malaysia requiring the first 10,000 workers to be sent through BOESL at zero cost. They said no such commitment was made during bilateral discussions or meetings of the joint working mechanism.

According to sector sources, a private group had offered to assist the government in recruiting workers at zero cost, and the proposal was later discussed as part of efforts to reopen the Malaysian labour market.

Industry stakeholders said the government’s zero-cost recruitment initiative and recruitment through private agencies could proceed simultaneously rather than making the latter conditional on the former.

They urged the government to resume demand-letter attestation, recruitment approvals, worker selection, medical examinations and BMET clearance for workers against the quotas already allocated.

The Malaysian labour market was reopened for Bangladeshi workers in August following an initiative by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Subsequently, around 350 Malaysian employers reportedly applied for quotas to recruit Bangladeshi workers, with more than 6,000 quotas already allocated.

Industry leaders warned that prolonged delays could prompt Malaysian employers to recruit workers from other countries, potentially affecting future recruitment opportunities for Bangladesh.

Several leaders of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) said Bangladesh needs to urgently decide on sending workers against the allocated quotas.

They said the government could continue efforts to establish a zero-cost recruitment mechanism alongside private-sector recruitment rather than making one dependent on the other.

Speaking to the media, Minister Ariful Haque said the government wants the first 10,000 workers to go to Malaysia at zero migration cost through BOESL before private recruiting agencies resume recruitment.

“We want 10,000 workers to go first at zero cost through BOESL. After that, private recruiting agencies will be able to send workers,” he said.

The minister also denied that complications over control of medical centres were behind the suspension of the recruitment process.