Bangladesh has announced the resumption of worker recruitment for Malaysia, which has agreed in principle to hire 10,000 Bangladeshi workers at no cost to them.
Malaysian authorities have also agreed to enlist 338 recruiting agencies from Bangladesh, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment on Thursday.
Under eligibility criteria set by Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysian authorities have agreed to enlist Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), 25 private processing and service agencies, and 312 recruiting agencies.
This brings the total number of enlisted agencies to 338.
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The ministry said the enlisted recruiting agencies will be able to find employers in Malaysia on their own initiative, obtain job demand letters and recruit workers from Bangladesh.
Malaysia has also agreed in principle to recruit 10,000 workers completely free of cost following a special request from the Bangladesh government, the ministry explained.
The ministry said Malaysia-approved agencies will collect job demand letters and select workers.
BOESL and the 25 enlisted processing or service agencies will then assist with the necessary administrative procedures, including calling visas and e-visas.
Once the required procedures in Malaysia are completed, the recruiting agency concerned will carry out the subsequent steps in accordance with Bangladesh’s regulations.
Each approved recruiting agency will be able to obtain clearance for workers from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), under its own license.
BOESL and the 25 processing or service agencies will be able to issue no-objection certificates, or NOCs, to the approved recruiting agencies for this purpose, according to the statement.
The process of finalizing the list of medical centers authorized to conduct health examinations for workers travelling to Malaysia is still underway. Under the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), both countries are responsible for finalizing the list.
The ministry said Bangladesh had requested changes to the existing list of medical centers to facilitate the swift reopening of the labor market.
However, final approval of a revised list is expected after an on-site inspection by a joint delegation from Malaysia’s Ministries of Health, Human Resources and Home Affairs.
Workers seeking employment in Malaysia will be able to complete the recruitment process through listed and approved recruiting agencies and undergo health examinations at authorized medical centers, according to the statement.
“No single medical center will be given exclusive authority to conduct health examinations for workers travelling to Malaysia,” the ministry noted.
According to official estimates, around 898,970 Bangladeshis are currently employed in Malaysia, making them one of the largest groups of foreign workers in the country, after Indonesians and Nepalese.
