Malaysia to Hire 200,000 Bangladeshi Workers in Six Months, Bangladesh Media Reports

DHAKA, Sept 1 — Malaysia is set to recruit approximately 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next six months under a newly established 338-agency framework, according to reports by Bangladeshi English daily The Daily Star citing government officials.

The hiring timeline was disclosed following bilateral discussions in Dhaka between Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohd Shuhada Othman and Bangladeshi ministers, as reported by national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam stated that deployment is scheduled to begin in phases from late September.

Citing a press release from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, The Daily Star reported that 338 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies have been authorized to participate. The Malaysian government directly selected 25 agencies, while 312 were approved as associate agencies, alongside the state-run Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL).

In statements carried by BSS, Shahe Alam noted that Malaysia has agreed in principle to recruit 10,000 of the 200,000 workers free of migration costs, with the initial batch departing via BOESL on a special chartered flight.

The Daily Star highlighted that the Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry issued an explicit warning urging prospective workers not to make advance payments, undergo medical examinations, or hand over passports until formal instructions are released. Processing will temporarily begin through 16 existing Malaysian-approved medical centers, subject to upcoming physical inspections by representatives from Malaysia’s health, human resources, and home ministries.

Additionally, BSS reported that Malaysian investors are preparing to channel roughly US$2 billion into Bangladesh’s electric vehicle, solar panel, renewable energy, and halal food industries. During the bilateral session, Bangladeshi officials also requested Malaysian authorities to formalize the legal registration of undocumented Bangladeshi workers currently residing in Malaysia.

–NMT