Malaysia Denies Official Plan to Recruit 200,000 Bangladeshi Workers

Bangla Press Desk:  State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam’s claim that Malaysia would recruit 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next six months does not represent the official position of the Bangladesh government, says Fahmi Fadzil, a spokesman for the Malaysian government.

Malayian Human Resources Minister R Ramanan said the statement by the state minister should not be regarded as an official declaration, Fadzil said, the Straits Times reports.

"It does not represent the official decision of the Bangladeshi government. That is what the Human Resources Minister informed me. So, it is not an official position," he said during a press conference.

State Minister Alam had made the statement after a meeting between Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohd Shuhada Othman and Local Government Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan at the Secretariat on Sunday.

“The manpower export from Bangladesh will start in phases by the end of September and will be completed within the next six months,” he said.

The workers would be recruited through companies approved by Malaysian authorities, he said.

Malaysia restricted the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in 2024 amid reports of exploitation, debt bondage, forced labour, and job fraud.

Alam’s statement comes as the Malaysian government is seeking to reduce its reliance on foreign labour with a targeted reduction of 10 percent, Straits Times reports.