Malaysia to reopen labour market soon, agrees to recruit 10,000 Bangladeshis at zero cost: Ministry

Malaysia's labour market, which has remained closed to Bangladeshi workers over corruption, mismanagement, syndication and irregularities during the previous regime, is set to reopen soon through a transparent process, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment said today, Friday.

In a press release, the ministry said the issue received top priority through several ministerial-level meetings between Bangladesh and Malaysia.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also discussed it with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar during his first foreign visit.

Malaysia has agreed to recruit 10,000 Bangladeshi workers on a "zero-cost" basis at Bangladesh's request.

The first batch will be sent on special chartered flights through state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), without airfare or other migration-related costs.

The ministry said Malaysia has directly selected 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies and allowed another 312 agencies to operate as associate recruitment agencies.

The agencies were screened by a high-level Malaysian joint committee comprising representatives of relevant ministries, the Anti-Corruption Commission and law enforcement agencies, with no involvement from the Bangladesh government, it said.

The ministry urged people not to make payments, undergo medical tests or submit passports until an official notice is issued, warning against brokers and fraudulent groups.