Malaysia confirms 2.4m workers quota

Staff Reporter :

Malaysia will recruit 2,467,756 foreign workers under its calling visa scheme, with applications open until 31 December, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed on Tuesday. The announcement has been widely reported across Malaysian media.

The recruitment will cover 13 sectors, including agriculture, plantations, and mining.

Opportunities will also be available in service sectors such as wholesale and retail, logistics and warehousing, security services,
metal and scrap processing, restaurants, laundry, cargo handling, and building cleaning services.

Recruitment in the construction sector will be restricted to government projects, while priority in the manufacturing sector will be given to new investments approved by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).

Datuk Seri Saifuddin emphasised that applications under the calling visa scheme must now be submitted exclusively through sector-based official agencies.

Individual employers or private agents will no longer be allowed to apply independently. Applications will be reviewed by the Foreign Workers Technical Committee and subsequently approved by the Joint Committee.

The Home Minister also noted that the current quota of 2,467,756 foreign workers will remain valid until 31 December.

After that, recruitment will be limited, allowing foreign workers to make up no more than 10 per cent of Malaysia’s total workforce.

So far, Malaysian authorities have not disclosed how many Bangladeshi workers will be eligible to apply under the scheme.