Sending workers from Bangladesh to Malaysia has long been a significant source of foreign currency earnings. This process has strengthened our labour market, economy, and foreign relations. However, without transparency, fairness, and inclusive policies in the migration sector, the process can become expensive and risky for the workers.

When the labour market in Malaysia reopened in 2022, only 25 recruiting agencies were granted permission to operate.

This decision to allow a limited number of agencies led to a lack of competition in the market, which caused recruitment costs to rise severalfold. Many migrant workers ended up spending between Tk400,000 and Tk600,000, instead of the government-fixed Tk78,000—placing immense financial pressure on them.

I have personally heard from hundreds of migrant workers who had to borrow heavily to go abroad, forcing them to live in dire conditions during their first year just to repay the loans. Many of them were also unaware of the specific terms of their employment, leading to various complications later on.

In my opinion, all legal and eligible recruiting agencies should be allowed to participate in the migration process. This would reduce monopolistic control and benefit the workers. The government could introduce a centralised digital recruitment platform where both workers and employers can interact directly. This would minimise the role of middlemen and increase transparency.

Before departure, workers must be provided with training, awareness of their rights, and the ability to understand written contracts. Government monitoring should be present at every stage of the recruitment process, along with an effective grievance redress system to quickly resolve any irregularities.

To make the migration process to Malaysia more efficient and humane, steps must be taken by the government, recruiting agencies, and civil society. To uphold the dignity and success of migration, now is the time to move away from syndicate-based systems and towards a participatory and transparent structure.

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The writer is a Manager, BRAC Migration Programme