Malaysia Reopens Labor Market, Japan and Mauritius Next
Collected Photo
Malaysia’s labor market has reopened for Bangladesh once again. Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said that the market became open from yesterday, Monday. He shared this information at Sylhet Circuit House at noon today, Tuesday.
He again said, “Very soon, there will be good news regarding the labor markets of several Middle Eastern countries, Japan, and Mauritius.”
This progress came following discussions between the two countries after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visit to Malaysia. The government hopes that sending Bangladeshi workers without cost will begin within one to two months.
A major change is coming in worker recruitment. Instead of Malaysia, Bangladesh itself will select recruiting agencies. The government hopes this will reduce syndicates and corruption. However, stakeholders say transparency must be ensured throughout the process; otherwise, complications may arise again in the future.
Malaysia’s labor market was closed in 2008 due to allegations of irregularities. It reopened in 2016, but the country stopped hiring workers again in 2018. Although worker sending resumed in August 2022, the labor market closed again on June 1, 2024.
Meanwhile, the government agency BOESL has been tasked with sending 7,873 workers who could not go to Malaysia in 2024. Of these, about 3,000 workers have already gone to Malaysia. Stakeholders say efforts are being taken to send the rest quickly.
The government hopes that if transparency is ensured under the new system, new opportunities for Bangladeshi employment in Malaysia will be created. At the same time, there is a possibility that the labor markets of Japan and Mauritius will also soon open for Bangladeshi workers.
