Malaysia approves new intake of Bangladeshi labourers
Staff Reporter :
The Malaysian government has approved a new phase of worker recruitment from Bangladesh, targeting individuals who were selected but unable to migrate by 31 May 2024.
The initiative will be carried out through Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), with a focus on employment in the construction and tourism sectors.
The Bangladesh High Commission (HC) in Kuala Lumpur confirmed the development in an official notice issued on Friday.
It stated that the verification process for demand letters has commenced, and all necessary documentation must be submitted via Malaysia’s Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) online portal.
To complete the recruitment process, Malaysian companies must submit a range of documents, including an authorisation letter signed by a managerial-level officer or higher, proof of payment of the verification fee, and salary slips for four to five existing employees.
Additionally, a company profile must outline the number of current local and foreign workers, provide contact details for two to three Bangladeshi employees, and include bank statements from the past three months showing a minimum balance of RM 200,000 for every 100 workers sought.
Further documentation requirements include proof of enrolment in the Foreign Workers Compensation Scheme (SOCSO), Hospitalisation and Surgical Scheme coverage, valid accommodation certificates, construction contracts, guarantee and demand letters, power of attorney, employment agreements, BOESL-employer contracts, and quota approval letters from Malaysian authorities. Both original copies and one set of photocopies must be submitted directly to the High Commission.
After months of delays and administrative hurdles, the resumption of worker deployment to Malaysia offers renewed hope.
Officials from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that worker deployment could soon resume under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), provided the recruitment process remains transparent and quota limits are respected.
Malaysia has proposed a ‘selective recruitment’ model that restricts hiring to registered and government-approved agencies. A draft framework has been prepared by the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources, while Bangladesh has submitted its feedback and revisions.
A senior representative of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) expressed support for the initiative, provided it eliminates informal middlemen and upholds a legal and transparent recruitment process.
Bangladesh has also recommended setting fixed recruitment costs per worker, standardising timelines for medical checks and visa approvals, and implementing stringent verification of recruiting agencies.
A final decision on the new recruitment framework is expected to be made during a joint working group meeting scheduled for the second week of August, with preparations already underway, according to officials at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
In a related development, the High Commission has issued an urgent warning to job seekers regarding fraudulent recruitment scams. In a notice published on its official Facebook page, the High Commission revealed that a group of fraudsters has been collecting passports and money from Bangladeshi nationals under false promises of employment in Sabah, Malaysia.
Authorities clarified that there is currently no valid agreement between the governments of Bangladesh and Malaysia concerning recruitment for Sabah province. The provincial authorities have not approved the hiring of Bangladeshi workers, although preliminary discussions are ongoing.
The High Commission has urged prospective migrants to remain alert and refrain from engaging with unauthorised intermediaries. It reiterated that any formal agreement will be publicly announced through official channels, including the High Commission’s website.