Although the migration of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia began in 1978 with the deployment of 23 workers, frequent irregularities, such as visa and passport forgery and unauthorized entries, led to repeated suspensions of the labor market, particularly after 2009. In 2012, a G2G (government-to-government) agreement and later, in 2016, a G2G Plus mechanism allowed the market to reopen under a limited agency structure. This approach utilized the FWCMS (Foreign Workers Centralized Management System), an online platform that enhanced transparency in the recruitment process. Following the signing of a new memorandum of understanding with Malaysia in 2021, the deployment process became streamlined through 101 authorized recruitment agencies. However, due to the involvement of unregistered agents, intermediaries, and unauthorized agencies in the purchase and sale of visas, migration costs rose significantly. Recommendations highlight the need to restrict migration procedures within the framework of government-approved agencies to maintain control over migration costs and ensure transparency.
Although the Malaysian labor market for Bangladeshi workers began in 1978 with the migration of 23 workers, an official agreement between the two governments was not signed until 1992. Shortly after the formal agreement, however, the Malaysian labor market closed and, despite reopening in 1996, experienced repeated cycles of closure and re-opening until 2008. Ultimately, from 2009 onwards, the market largely remained closed for Bangladeshi workers.
Widespread irregularities in the migration process, such as passport forgery, altered or fraudulent passport information, entry of criminals into Malaysia, procedural errors in manual migration processing, workers absconding from employers, and illegal employment through travel visas by unscrupulous agents and brokers, led the Malaysian government and employers to lose interest in hiring Bangladeshi workers. Consequently, from 2009 to 2012, while a limited number of professionals continued to migrate, the Malaysian labor market for general workers remained largely inaccessible.
Subsequently, in 2012, a G2G (Government-to-Government) agreement between Bangladesh and Malaysia reopened the Malaysian labor market to Bangladeshi workers. However, by 2015, only around 9,000 workers had migrated to Malaysia under this initiative, despite an initial approval from the Malaysian government for a quota of 30,000 workers. This limited migration was due to a lack of interest among Malaysian employers in recruiting through the G2G process, ultimately causing the initiative to fall short of its goals.
Although official migration remained low, a significant number of Bangladeshi workers attempted to reach Malaysia illegally via sea routes and through the Thailand border. Many faced dangerous sea journeys, with some meeting fatal accidents. Others were apprehended by Malaysian law enforcement, and some succeeded in entering Malaysia only to work without legal authorization. Tragically, many attempting the route via Thailand died along the border, and in 2015, mass graves of Bangladeshi migrants were discovered in Thai border areas. This incident tarnished the country's reputation, left the families of deceased workers in profound hardship, and caused embarrassment to the Bangladeshi government.
Despite these issues, the history of previous irregularities, fraud, and unauthorized practices prompted the government to remain reluctant to open the labor market beyond the G2G process or to allow recruitment through all agencies, opting instead for controlled recruitment through select agencies.
In this context, on February 18, 2016, the Bangladeshi government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaysia, allowing a limited number of private recruiting agencies, alongside the G2G model, to facilitate the migration of workers to Malaysia. According to this MoU, known as G2G Plus, Malaysia agreed to recruit workers from Bangladesh through a maximum of ten authorized recruiting agencies in addition to the government channels.
At the time of signing, the Malaysian government expressed its belief that utilizing both government channels and a limited number of private recruiting agencies would significantly reduce the previously mentioned irregularities and fraudulent practices. Moreover, any irregularities occurring within this controlled setup would be easier to trace, with responsibilities clearly designated among the responsible agencies and authorities, thus enabling enhanced accountability.
In conjunction with this initiative, Malaysia introduced an online-based digital platform for recruitment management—the Foreign Workers Centralized Management System (FWCMS). This fully automated system was designed to increase transparency and accountability for all parties involved, significantly reducing irregularities in the recruitment process.
The FWCMS system was integrated with Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration Department, Ministry of Human Resources, Ministry of Health, and other related departments, as well as Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, BMET, the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia, and certified medical centers for health screenings. This integration has made the process considerably more transparent, effectively preventing document fraud. As a result, workers have been able to secure employment as planned and receive regular wages.
However, agencies excluded from this system have raised various complaints, and similar concerns have surfaced from neighboring countries as well. Consequently, Malaysia’s then-Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, ordered a temporary suspension of the immigration process for investigation.
After a thorough review of the complaints by the Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia, then-Minister M. Kula Segaran informed the Malaysian Parliament on December 5, 2019, that no evidence was found to support the alleged claims. Additionally, he expressed renewed interest in hiring workers from Bangladesh.
In light of this, the Bangladesh government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 19, 2021, to reopen the Malaysian labor market for Bangladeshi workers. According to the agreement, the Bangladesh government consented to allow Malaysia to select a specific number of agencies with valid licenses, provided by the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, to manage the recruitment through an online automated system.
After six months, in June 2022, following a joint working group meeting between the relevant ministries of both governments, the recruitment of workers commenced through 25 approved recruiting agencies from Bangladesh. Malaysia subsequently increased this number to include BOESL, bringing the total to 101 agencies. Between August 8, 2022, and May 31, 2024, a total of 476,672 Bangladeshi workers were deployed to Malaysia.
Using an online-based centralized platform for recruiting workers enabled the verification of demand letters, ministry recruitment permissions, worker selection, health examinations, pre-departure orientation, and training. After obtaining the BMET exit clearance, workers could travel to Malaysia without issues of document forgery, allowing for an orderly integration with their respective employers.
It's noteworthy that Malaysia often models economic and trade practices after Singapore. Singapore employs workers from Bangladesh through six training centers and fourteen recruiting agencies, facilitating a transparent and disciplined migration process. In an effort to eliminate past irregularities, the Malaysian government also opted for a limited number of recruiting agencies rather than multiple agencies.
However, the decision to recruit through a restricted number of agencies has met resistance from unlisted agencies. These agencies organized protests and rallies, causing disruptions to the migration process. In response, the ministry permitted the approved recruiting agencies to collaborate with these unlisted agencies as associate partners. Consequently, these associate agencies gained influence over worker selection and the supply chain by working alongside local agents of employers, which ultimately led to a significant increase in migration costs.
To fully leverage the labor market opportunities for Bangladeshi workers, it is essential to adopt a realistic approach in line with Malaysia’s approved migration policies and agency framework, rather than opposing Malaysia’s set guidelines. In addition, to control migration costs, it would be beneficial to eliminate intermediary or associate agencies outside the two governments' approved recruiting agencies. By directly managing the supply chain and enabling the quota-approved agencies to complete the entire migration process, the migration would be safer, and costs could be reduced to an optimal level.
