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Ushar Daniele

Bangladesh’s new leader has urged Malaysia to reopen its labour market to more Bangladeshi workers, even as migrant rights groups warned that both governments must first address years of recruitment abuse, debt and stranded-worker cases.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman made the request to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during talks in Putrajaya on Monday, his first foreign visit since taking office, while seeking to broaden bilateral ties.
Tarique said he had asked Anwar to consider recruiting more Bangladeshi workers and reopening the labour market as soon as possible, while also raising issues related to undocumented workers and possible repatriation of detained Bangladeshis.
“We agree that recruitment should be transparent, fair and affordable, reducing the role of intermediaries and lowering the cost of overseas employment,” he said during a joint press conference in Putrajaya.
Anwar reaffirmed that Bangladeshi workers remained crucial to Malaysia’s economy but warned that exploitation, mistreatment and recruitment scandals could not continue.
“This continued use of workers being exploited, ill-treated and purely used for personal company gains cannot be tolerated,” Anwar said.
He said Malaysia would ensure recruitment processes were transparent, met the needs of both countries and protected the interests of workers and their families.

The recruitment system for Bangladeshi workers has long been scrutinised over labour scams, excessive recruitment fees, debt bondage and allegations of corruption involving recruitment agencies. Malaysia suspended the hiring of Bangladeshi workers in September 2018 in response to such concerns.
The two countries signed a five-year memorandum of understanding in December 2021 to reopen the labour market.
When recruitment resumed in August 2022, many Bangladeshi workers paid US$5,000 in recruitment fees, far above the officially approved cost of around US$700, according to migrant rights groups and Bangladeshi media reports at the time.
In 2024, United Nations experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council raised alarm over the poor treatment of Bangladeshi workers who were left stranded over scams that promised jobs that were later found to be non-existent.
In February this year, Malaysia said it had accepted about 800 Bangladeshi workers between December 2025 and January 2026 after a more stringent screening process, with officials saying they were needed for the construction sector.

Rights groups urge caution
Dhaka’s request to reopen the labour market comes as rights groups warn both governments to address existing cases of individuals who are stranded, indebted and undocumented before bringing in more workers.
Glorene Das, executive director of migrant rights group Tenaganita, said both governments should conduct a comprehensive assessment of the number of affected workers.
“Any discussion on reopening recruitment channels should be informed by evidence and accompanied by measures to resolve the existing crisis,” Das said.
Adrian Pereira, executive director of the North South Initiative, said civil society groups that had spent years assisting Bangladeshi workers were not consulted despite being left to deal with the fallout from labour abuses and fraudulent recruitment.
“We are very disappointed that despite helping thousands of Bangladeshi workers, there has been no engagement with civil society,” he said. “We want accountability and transparency in what’s going on, because when labour abuses happen, the burden often falls on NGOs and the workers themselves.”
Over 800,000 Bangladeshis held temporary employment passes as of 30 June 2025, according to the Malaysian home ministry’s data. Bangladeshi workers represented 37 per cent of all foreign workers in Malaysia as of the date – the largest group of low-skilled migrant workers in the country.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has expressed interest in joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world’s largest free trade pact, and forging closer cooperation with Asean, aiming to be one of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ dialogue partners.
It is also keen to deepen its relationship with Malaysia through investments in digital technology, the halal industry, energy, defence, infrastructure, agriculture and the semiconductor industry.
Tarique said Bangladesh was opening its doors to become a more business-friendly destination.
“I see strong potential for Malaysian investment in Bangladesh and warmly invite Malaysian businesses to explore the opportunities,” he said.
Bilateral trade rose from US$2.84 billion in 2024 to US$2.92 billion in 2025, with Bangladesh ranking as Malaysia’s second-largest trading partner in South Asia after India.


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Both sides seek to ensure that the hiring process for Bangladeshi workers is transparent to protect their interests


Both sides seek to ensure that the hiring process for Bangladeshi workers is transparent to protect their interests.


Bangladesh urges Malaysia to ease labour hiring curbs amid exploitation concerns

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Both sides seek to ensure that the hiring process for Bangladeshi workers is transparent to protect their interests

Both sides seek to ensure that the hiring process for Bangladeshi workers is transparent to protect their interests