Malaysia to hire 338 Bangladeshi agencies for worker recruitment

Malaysia has approved 338 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies to send workers to the country, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment announced. Of these, 25 agencies were directly selected by the Malaysian government, while an additional 312 will operate as associate recruitment agencies. The state-run Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) will also be involved in the process.

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Malaysia had selected 25 recruiting agencies for Bangladesh under a cabinet decision.

The ministry confirmed the development via a press release, emphasizing that the specific procedures for worker deployment are still being finalized. Prospective workers have been cautioned against making any payments, undergoing medical tests, or submitting passports until official instructions are issued.

This arrangement follows a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Bangladesh and Malaysia on December 18, 2022. Malaysia also approved agencies for Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Myanmar. The 25 directly selected Bangladeshi agencies were chosen from a list of 423 agencies prepared by the interim government. Bangladesh had previously requested Malaysia to exclude agencies involved in recruitment syndicates or those that benefited under the previous Awami League government.

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Malaysia also approved 25 agencies for Nepal and 10 each for India, Pakistan and Myanmar.

Malaysia has agreed in principle to recruit 10,000 Bangladeshi workers without migration costs, following a special request from Bangladesh. The first batch of these workers will be sent via BOESL on a special chartered flight, marking the resumption of worker deployment to the Malaysian labor market. However, the departure date for the first batch has not yet been specified. Representatives from Malaysia’s health, human resources, and home ministries will conduct inspections of medical centers in Bangladesh before final approval is granted. Recruitment activities will initially proceed through 16 existing Malaysian-approved medical centers.

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Malaysia had agreed in principle, following a special request from Bangladesh, to recruit 10,000 Bangladeshi workers without charging them migration costs.