Malaysia is expected to recruit around 200,000 migrant workers from Bangladesh over the next six months, with the hiring process set to be carried out in stages through various agencies, according to Dhaka.
Bangladeshi junior minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said recruitment is expected to begin from the end of September.
“There are about 800,000 registered Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, although some are still unregistered.
“Our minister has asked the Malaysian authorities to register them,” he was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.
Mir Shahe Alam made the remarks while speaking to reporters following a meeting between Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Shuhada Othman and Bangladeshi local government, rural development and cooperatives minister Abdul Moyeen Khan.
The planned recruitment comes after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited Malaysia in June and urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to consider reopening Malaysia’s labour market to Bangladeshi workers.
Malaysia has restricted the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh since 2024 following reports involving debt bondage and forced labour.
At the same time, the Malaysian Government has set a target of reducing the proportion of foreign workers to around 10% of the country’s total workforce by 2030.
The latest development could signal a new phase in Malaysia-Bangladesh labour cooperation, although the recruitment process and regulatory requirements will remain subject to the relevant authorities.
