Bangladesh, Malaysia may sign MoU 19 Dec to recruit workers

Bangladesh and Malaysia may sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 19 December this year to open the labour market for Bangladeshi workers. 

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed is scheduled to fly to Malaysia on 18 December for this purpose, an official of the ministry said, wishing anonymity.

Earlier, on Friday, the Malaysian cabinet decided to reopen the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers as it was closed since 2018.

Malaysian Minister for Human Resources Seri Saravanan Murugan will sign an MoU with Bangladesh's Expatriates' Welfare Minister Imran Ahmed in this regard soon, said a media statement of the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources on Friday.

The Southeast Asian country decided to open recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in all sectors including plantation, agriculture, manufacturing, services, mining, construction and household service.

"Admission of these Bangladeshi workers will be implemented immediately after the MoU is signed," said the media release.

Malaysia is home to around eight lakh Bangladeshis, according to an unofficial estimate.

The country suspended hiring Bangladeshi workers in September 2018 over allegations of malpractices in the recruitment process and high recruitment costs.

Since then, the Bangladeshi expatriate ministry has been negotiating continuously with the Malaysian authorities to reopen the market.

"According to local newspapers of Malaysia, some issues related to manpower recruitment are being changed in the MoU this time from the previous agreements. Notable among these is the absence of the G2G plus process. Malaysian recruiting agencies are being involved in the recruitment process," Ahmadul Kabir, a Bangladeshi journalist based in Kuala Lumpur, told The Business Standard.

The previous deal signed between the two countries was called the "G2G Plus deal," meaning workers could be recruited both by private agencies and the government.

"In addition, getting insurance will be mandatory for the workers. The employer will bear the cost and arrangements for the repatriation of the workers. The age of the employees has been fixed from 18 to 45 years. However, the cost of migrating from Bangladesh to Malaysia will be known after the signing of the MoU," he added.