Malaysia expected to take in 200,000 Bangladeshi workers within six months

Malaysia is expected to recruit about 200,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next six months, with the intake covering several sectors and agencies.

Bangladesh’s Deputy Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Mir Shahe Alam, said the phased recruitment would begin at the end of the month. He said about 800,000 Bangladeshi workers are registered in Malaysia, while others remain unregistered, and that Bangladesh’s minister had asked Malaysian authorities to register them.

The expected recruitment follows Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Malaysia in June, when he urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to consider reopening the labor market to Bangladeshi workers.

Malaysia has also stressed that local workers should receive priority. Human Resources Minister R. Ramanan said Malaysians should be given the first opportunity to fill available jobs before employers turn to foreign workers. Anwar has ordered ministries and agencies to resolve foreign-worker applications, particularly for restaurants, while ensuring recruitment remains controlled.

Under Malaysia’s 12th national plan, foreign workers must not exceed 15 percent of the national workforce. The target under the 13th plan is to reduce that share to 10 percent by 2030.

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There are about 800,000 registered Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. Some are unregistered.