25 recruiters in Malaysia’s new labour list

Malaysia has named 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies authorised to recruit workers from Bangladesh, signalling a possible reopening of a labour market that has remained closed to Bangladeshi workers for more than two years.

The move has drawn attention within Bangladesh’s manpower-export sector, where recruiting agencies are awaiting clarity over how the selected agencies will operate, how they will work alongside the state-run Overseas Employment and Services Ltd (BOESL), and whether the reopening will provide workers with access to jobs at reasonable cost.

The names of the 25 agencies were published on Friday on Malaysia’s Foreign Workers Centralised Management System, an online platform used by the Malaysian government to administer foreign-worker recruitment.

Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the development represented progress towards reopening the Malaysian market and that an official announcement from Kuala Lumpur was expected within days.

“I hope the Malaysian government will officially announce it,” Chowdhury said.

“Following the prime minister’s visit, excellent relations have developed between the two countries.

Significant progress has been made through discussions, and I think they will make an announcement within a few days.”

The listing, however, has prompted questions over the recruitment mechanism, particularly whether Malaysia’s selection of 25 agencies could lead to a restricted recruitment arrangement.

The minister said there was no reason for concern, stressing that Malaysia’s list was an administrative decision on its part and that Bangladesh would continue to use BOESL as its channel for sending workers.

“Malaysia’s list is their own,” Chowdhury said. “We will send workers through BOESL from our side.

All the recruiting agencies on our list will have an opportunity to work. There is no hide-and-seek here.”

The statement comes amid concerns within Bangladesh’s recruiting industry over the possibility of a new recruitment syndication system, which has previously faced criticism over transparency and migration costs.

Ali Haider Chowdhury, a former secretary general of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), said recruiting agencies were still waiting for clear government guidance on the reopening process.

“We have seen some lists in the media,” he said. “We only want everyone to have an opportunity to work, workers to be protected and workers to be able to go at the minimum possible cost.”

He said the industry would wait for a formal government announcement before making further comments.

The Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur also said it had not received formal notification from the Malaysian authorities. Siddiqur Rahman, minister for labour at the mission, said the high commission had not been informed about the latest development.

Market closed since May 2024
Malaysia shut its labour market to Bangladeshi workers at the end of May 2024, leaving thousands stranded after returning to Bangladesh on leave and subsequently being unable to resume their jobs.

Since then, reopening access to the Malaysian market has emerged as a significant diplomatic and economic priority for Dhaka.

The issue received particular attention during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first overseas visit after the BNP government came to power in February.

At a news conference arranged by the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur on July 30, Mahdi Amin, an adviser to the prime minister, said the Malaysian labour market had reopened and that Bangladeshi workers would start travelling there from the final week of August.

He also said the initial phase of recruitment would be handled through BOESL.
“We requested the Malaysian government that the first phase of recruitment be completed through BOESL,” Amin said, in the presence of Chowdhury.

Malaysia’s subsequent publication of the 25-agency list, however, has raised questions about how that arrangement will operate.

Chowdhury said there was no contradiction, explaining that BOESL would remain the channel through which Bangladesh sends workers while agencies on Bangladesh’s approved list would also have opportunities to participate.

Malaysia selects smaller group
Malaysia’s list is considerably smaller than the number of agencies previously proposed by Bangladesh.

During the previous interim government, Bangladesh submitted 423 recruiting agencies to Malaysia as part of efforts to reopen the market.

The current government later reviewed the list and reduced it to 340 agencies.

Malaysia has now listed only 25 Bangladeshi agencies on its centralised management system.

The gap between the two lists has intensified questions within the manpower sector over which agencies will ultimately be allowed to recruit and whether the process will remain sufficiently open to the wider industry.

The government has repeatedly said that lowering migration costs, improving workers’ skills and ensuring transparency in recruitment are among its priorities.

During a July visit to Malaysia, Amin said Malaysian authorities would provide details of their recruitment procedures and that the final number of agencies would depend on Malaysia’s screening process and regulatory framework.

Diplomatic efforts continue
The latest development follows months of high-level discussions between Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur.

During Tarique Rahman’s visit to Malaysia in June, reopening the Malaysian labour market was among the key issues discussed by the two governments.

A Bangladeshi delegation led by Chowdhury and Amin travelled to Malaysia in July and later said the two sides had reached an understanding on reopening the market.

Dhaka now hopes the latest move will lead to the resumption of worker departures.

Malaysia has long been one of Bangladesh’s major overseas employment destinations.

According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) data, Bangladesh’s overseas employment drive began in 1976, while Bangladeshi workers first travelled to Malaysia in 1978. The initial group comprised only 23 workers.

Since then, more than 1.45 million Bangladeshis have travelled to Malaysia for employment, accounting for more than 9 per cent of Bangladesh’s overseas workforce deployed across international labour markets, according to government figures.

The market has nevertheless been repeatedly disrupted by changes in Malaysian recruitment policy, giving Malaysia a reputation within Bangladesh’s manpower industry as an unpredictable labour destination.

For Bangladeshi workers and recruiting agencies, the latest list of 25 agencies could mark a return to one of the country’s largest overseas employment markets.

But until Kuala Lumpur formally announces the reopening and Dhaka clarifies how BOESL and private agencies will share responsibility, questions remain over how recruitment will be conducted and how much workers will ultimately have to pay.