Malaysia reopens labour market but imposes ‘unacceptable’ terms: Asif Nazrul

Malaysia has reopened its labour market for Bangladeshi workers but attached around a dozen conditions that Dhaka considers unacceptable, said Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Asif Nazrul.

Adviser Nazrul made the remarks after inaugurating the “Overseas Employment Platform” at a city hotel on Wednesday.

Nazrul said Bangladesh has already conveyed its objections to several of the proposed conditions and will continue discussions with Malaysian authorities to secure a more favourable position for Bangladeshi workers.

Malaysia’s new criteria require recruiting agencies to have at least five years of operational experience, a record of sending a minimum of 3,000 workers in the past five years and experiences in sending workers to at least three countries.

Agencies must also hold a valid licence, a good-conduct certificate, operate their own training and assessment centre, present recommendation letters from at least five international employers, maintain a permanent office space of 10,000 square feet, and prove compliance with destination-country regulations, he said.

The adviser warned that enforcing such stringent conditions may pave the way for a syndicate.

“Only a handful of agencies would be able to send workers if these standards are enforced. We want an open and competitive labour market,” he said.

Asif Nazrul said the platform is designed to ensure transparency in the recruitment process and help prospective migrant workers avoid fraud and exploitation, especially as Bangladesh continues discussions with Malaysia to secure fairer conditions for its workers.