Malaysian labour market reopens for Bangladeshi workers: Expatriates' Welfare Minister

Malaysia has reopened its labour market for Bangladeshi workers, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said.

The minister revealed this while speaking to journalists at the Sylhet Circuit House on Tuesday (July 7).

He said that Malaysia officially reopened its labour market to Bangladesh on Monday (July 6). He also expressed optimism that more good news regarding employment opportunities in the Middle East, Japan, and Mauritius would be announced for Bangladeshi job seekers in the near future.

The issue of employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia received special attention during Prime Minister Tarek Rahman's recent visit to Malaysia. Following productive high-level discussions between the two governments, legal and administrative obstacles were resolved, paving the way for the reopening of the labour market.

Malaysia first suspended the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in 2008 over allegations of irregularities and corruption. The market was reopened in 2016 but was again suspended in 2018 on similar allegations.

After prolonged negotiations, worker recruitment resumed in August 2022. However, Malaysia once again halted the intake of Bangladeshi workers on June 1, 2024. Since then, the two countries have been engaged in lengthy discussions to ease various conditions and address outstanding issues.

Meanwhile, the government agency BOESL (Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited) was assigned the responsibility of facilitating the migration of 7,873 workers who were unable to travel to Malaysia in 2024. So far, nearly 3,000 of them have been able to leave for Malaysia. Stakeholders in the sector have been urging the authorities to make a prompt decision regarding the remaining workers.