‘We can now hire over 2,000 Bangladeshi workers’

PUTRAJAYA: The recruitment process for Bangladeshi workers can now begin after the previous technical issues have been resolved, says the Human Resources Ministry.

In a statement yesterday, it said the attestation process involving 15 companies and more than 2,000 Bangladeshi workers had been completed by the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, and the process was expected to pick up in the coming weeks.

It said employers who had paid the levy and plan to hire Bangladeshi workers could now submit their applications for confirmation of employment and work visa documentation to the high commission in Kuala Lumpur, Bernama reported.“However, the entry of Bangladeshi workers is subject to safety and health screening, including compliance with the requirements of the Immigration Department,” the statement added.

Last December, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan and his Bangladeshi counterpart, expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister Imran Ahmed, signed a memorandum of understanding on the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia, effective until December 2026.Saravanan said the MOU outlined the responsibilities of both countries, including those relating to Malaysian employers and Bangladeshi workers as well as the responsibilities of private employment agencies in both countries.

Yesterday, the Bangladesh High Commission, in a post on Facebook, said the selection or verification of the Bangladeshi recruitment agencies was not its responsibility.

It said that according to the MOU signed between both governments and the minutes of the first joint working group meeting in Dhaka on June 2 this year, the Malaysian government shall pick the Bangladeshi recruiting agencies automatically through the online system from the list provided by the Bangladesh government.

“The Bangladesh government already handed over a list of 1,520 valid agencies to the Malaysian government.

“In accordance with the process and procedure on the recruitment, employment and repatriation as agreed in the June 2 meeting, the Bangladesh High Commission is rendering attestation after reviewing/scrutinising documents like demand letter, employment contract, power of attorney and inspecting the working environment, accommodation facilities, medical benefits and other work-related facilities of the Malaysian companies which applied for Bangladeshi workers,” it added.