Staff Reporter :
Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Asif Nazrul has clarified that Malaysia is expected to recruit not more 40,000 manpower from Bangladesh from next year.
He further stated that the upcoming recruitment drive for Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia will be significantly smaller than the widely anticipated one to 1.2 million figure.
The adviser said this while addressing a seminar titled “Japan’s Labour Market: Opportunities and Challenges,” organised by the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital on Wednesday.
In his speech, Asif Nazrul pointed out the different possibilities and complexities surrounding Malaysia’s recruitment process.
He revealed that the previous government had entered into a formal agreement with Malaysia, which involved a list of approved recruitment agencies from which Bangladesh would select workers. This system, which Nazrul referred to as the ‘syndicate,’ has faced significant criticism.
“We are under pressure to dismantle the syndicate, but doing so requires renegotiating the agreement with Malaysia, which we cannot do unilaterally. The process must be negotiated,” Nazrul stated.
He outlined the country’s two options if Malaysia refuses to amend the agreement. “We can either proceed with sending workers through the existing 25, 50, or 100 agencies, or we can choose to send no workers at all. If we allow recruitment through the syndicate, I will be accused of supporting it. But if we don’t send anyone, 40,000 workers could lose their opportunities, which would impact up to 200,000 families.”
Nazrul also discussed Bangladesh’s growing engagement with Japan’s labour market, noting that while there is substantial demand for workers, the country faces challenges in meeting the required skill levels.
“Many of our workers are unskilled. Though a number are learning Japanese, they still do not meet the necessary standards. The only solution to this problem is to train workers specifically based on Japan’s labour needs,” he added.
In response to these challenges, the government has established a dedicated Japan cell and plans to launch a website soon to streamline the process.
Additionally, the adviser outlined plans for public-private partnerships aimed at enhancing training opportunities for workers.
“We are encouraging Japanese entrepreneurs to manage our Technical Training Centres (TTCs). For instance, we have already handed over the Manohardi TTC to a Japanese partner and instructed them to develop it according to their needs,” he concluded.
The government remains focused on improving the skill sets of its workforce to better meet the demands of international labour markets, particularly in Japan.
