Malaysia Reopens Labor Market for Bangladeshi Workers on “Zero-Cost” Basis
Malaysia’s labor market is set to welcome Bangladeshi workers again. This market was closed for a long time. It will now reopen through a clear and honest process.
The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment shared this news today. They said this reopening received top importance. The market was closed before due to problems like corruption. There were also issues with bad management and other irregularities. Now, transparency is a main goal.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman discussed this with Malaysian leaders. He met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. He also spoke with King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar. This happened during his first foreign trip.
Malaysia has agreed to hire 10,000 Bangladeshi workers. These workers will go on a “zero-cost” basis. This means they will not pay airfare or other migration costs. This request came from Bangladesh.
The first group of workers will travel soon. They will use special chartered flights. Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) will manage this. BOESL is a state-owned company.
The Malaysian government has chosen 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies directly. Another 312 agencies can work as associate recruiters. A high-level Malaysian committee checked these agencies. This committee included members from different ministries. It also had people from the Anti-Corruption Commission and law enforcement. Bangladesh’s government was not involved in this selection process.
The ministry gave an important warning to the public. People should not pay any money now. They should not do medical tests or give passports. Wait for an official announcement first. The ministry warned against brokers and dishonest groups. They often try to trick people with false promises.
