Kuala Lumpur has publicly refuted claims made by a Bangladeshi state minister regarding the recruitment of 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next six months. Malaysian government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil clarified on Wednesday that statements issued by Bangladesh’s State Minister for Local Government, Mir Shahe Alam, should not be viewed as an official announcement or formal policy stance of the Malaysian government.
The clarification follows remarks made by Mir Shahe Alam on Sunday, after a meeting between Malaysian High Commissioner Mohammad Shuhada Othman, Bangladesh’s newly appointed Local Government Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, and ministry officials. The state minister told reporters that recruitment would commence by late September, with 200,000 workers dispatched through enlisted agencies over six months, alongside an additional 10,000 workers recruited free of charge.
Addressing a weekly press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Fahmi Fadzil stated that Malaysian Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong confirmed no formal decision had been reached with Bangladesh regarding such quotas. The swift refutation from Malaysian authorities has reintroduced uncertainty into bilateral labour market negotiations.
The dispute comes amidst ongoing controversy surrounding the recruitment framework published on Malaysia’s Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS). On 21 August, an initial list of 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies was published, granting them exclusive recruitment rights—a setup widely criticised by manpower exporters as an abusive monopoly or “syndicate”. Similar syndicate structures involving 10 agencies in 2016 and 2025 agencies in 2022 led to widespread corruption, exorbitant migration fees, and subsequent market closures.
Following protests from Bangladeshi manpower exporters and official requests from Dhaka, Malaysian authorities released an expanded list of 312 “associate agencies” on 28 August. Under this modified arrangement, each of the primary 25 agencies will oversee 10 associate agents, while state-owned recruiter BOESL will manage 62 associates. Manpower exporters maintain that requiring 312 associate agencies to operate under the umbrella of the primary 25 still constitutes a syndicate structure, threatening to inflate migration costs for job seekers.
The history of Bangladesh’s labour recruitment in Malaysia has been repeatedly disrupted by systemic irregularities and corruption allegations:
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2009: Malaysia suspended recruitment from Bangladesh over widespread irregularities.
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2016–2018: The market reopened under the “G2G Plus” scheme involving 10 selected agencies, sending 475,779 workers. The route was suspended in September 2018 following allegations of a 50-billion-Taka corruption racket, with workers charged up to 300,000 Taka despite an official cap of 37,000 Taka.
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2021–2024: A new bilateral agreement signed in December 2021 selected 25 primary agencies (later expanded to include BOESL and 76 additional firms). Between August 2022 and May 2024, 476,790 workers migrated. Despite an official fee limit of 78,990 Taka, surveys indicated workers paid an average of 544,000 Taka.
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31 May 2024: Malaysia shut its doors to Bangladeshi workers due to severe corruption, leaving nearly 17,000 workers stranded despite completing all administrative requirements and paying migration fees.
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June 2026: Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman urged Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to consider reopening the recruitment channel.
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August 2026: Preparations to reopen the market began with agency selection, though renewed fears over syndicate monopolies and conflicting recruitment figures continue to shadow negotiations.
