Malaysia to take in 200,000 workers from Bangladesh in 6 months

Malaysia plans to hire around 200,000 migrant workers from Bangladesh over the course of the next six months, according to Dhaka. The recruitment will be managed by various agencies, with the process commencing in phases from the end of September, as stated by Bangladeshi junior minister Mir Shahe Alam. Presently, there are approximately 800,000 registered Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, although some may be unregistered.

Minister Alam conveyed his concerns to Malaysian authorities, urging them to register these workers. This discussion took place following a meeting between Malaysia's high commissioner to Bangladesh, Shuhada Othman, and Abdul Moyeen Khan, the Malaysian minister of local government, rural development, and cooperatives. In June, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had visited Malaysia and advocated for the reopening of the labour market to Bangladeshi migrant workers.

Putrajaya had imposed restrictions on hiring Bangladeshi workers since 2024, following reports of debt bondage and forced labor. The Malaysian government aspires to decrease the number of foreign workers in the country to around 10% of the total workforce by 2030.