Could 200,000 Bangladeshi Workers Enter Malaysia?

Malaysia may recruit about 200,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next six months, according to Bangladeshi Deputy Minister Mir Shahe Alam. The phased recruitment could begin at the end of this month and cover several sectors and agencies.

“They will take about 200,000 workers. Of that number, 10,000 workers will be taken without any cost. There are about 800,000 registered Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. Some are unregistered. Our minister has asked the Malaysian authorities to register them,” Shahe Alam said.

He spoke after a meeting in Dhaka between Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Shuhada Othman, and Bangladesh’s minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives, Abdul Moyeen Khan.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman raised the possible reopening of Malaysia’s labour market to Bangladeshi workers during a visit to Malaysia in June. Malaysia’s Human Resources Minister R. Ramanan has said Malaysians should receive priority for available jobs before employers turn to foreign workers.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has also ordered ministries and agencies to resolve applications for foreign workers, particularly in the restaurant sector, within a month. The government says it recognises restaurants’ urgent labour needs but wants foreign recruitment to remain controlled. Under Malaysia’s 12th Malaysia Plan, foreign workers may not exceed 15 percent of the national workforce. The 13th Malaysia Plan aims to reduce that share to 10 percent by 2030.

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They will take about 200,000 workers. Of that number, 10,000 workers will be taken without any cost. There are about 800,000 registered Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. Some are unregistered. Our minister has asked the Malaysian authorities to register them.