Malaysian businesses and Bangladeshi expatriates have renewed calls for the reopening of the labour market and the introduction of a regularisation programme for undocumented workers as Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman prepares to visit Malaysia later this month. Malaysia, Bangladesh’s second-largest overseas labour market after Saudi Arabia, is home to an estimated 1.5 million Bangladeshis, both documented and undocumented, whose remittances continue to play a vital role in supporting Bangladesh’s economy. However, the suspension of worker recruitment under the calling visa system since 2024 and the closure of regularisation programmes since 2023 have left thousands of workers in uncertainty while creating labour shortages across several sectors of the Malaysian economy.
According to community sources, nearly 100,000 undocumented Bangladeshi migrants have already returned home after paying fines and exhausting their savings. Employers argue that the continued suspension of recruitment has negatively affected production and business operations, particularly as workers from other countries have been unable to fully meet the demand traditionally fulfilled by Bangladeshi labourers. While Malaysia continues to recruit workers from countries such as Nepal and India, recruitment from Bangladesh remains stalled amid ongoing discussions surrounding the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), a recruitment mechanism that critics say previously facilitated syndicates and increased migration costs for workers. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has recently called for a transparent and worker-friendly recruitment process to ensure ethical labour migration.
Haji Hassan, Managing Director of Rizki Sendirian Berhad, stressed the need for stronger diplomatic engagement between the two countries, saying, “Both governments should intensify diplomatic efforts and reopen the calling visa and regularisation programmes as soon as possible so that this important labour market is not lost due to prolonged delays.”
Community leader and businessman BM Russell Rana, Managing Director of Alochaya Restaurant and RNS Pasaraya, said the contribution of Bangladeshi workers to both economies remains significant. “During the previous recruitment drive, around 500,000 Bangladeshi workers secured employment opportunities in Malaysia, contributing to record remittance inflows. Malaysia remains Bangladesh’s second-largest labour market, and even undocumented workers continue to send substantial remittances home. The country’s climate, culture, religious environment, security and income opportunities make it an ideal destination for Bangladeshi workers,” he said.
Expectations are now centred on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s scheduled visit to Kuala Lumpur on June 21�"22 at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The visit, which will be Rahman’s first overseas trip since assuming office, has generated considerable optimism among the Bangladeshi diaspora, many of whom hope it will lead to progress on long-standing migration issues. Social media platforms and expatriate community forums have been filled with discussions about the potential reopening of the labour market and the possibility of creating legal pathways for undocumented workers.
Jasim Uddin, President of Malaysia Jubo Dal, said the visit could have far-reaching implications for both bilateral relations and migrant welfare. “This visit will not only strengthen diplomatic relations between the two countries but could also play a crucial role in resolving issues affecting Bangladeshi expatriates. We are hopeful of positive progress regarding the stability and expansion of Bangladesh’s labour market in Malaysia,” he said.
Engineer Enamul Haque, Convener of the NCP Diaspora Alliance in Malaysia, echoed those sentiments. “We expect meaningful progress on several long-standing issues through this visit. In particular, any positive announcement regarding the legalisation of undocumented Bangladeshis and the establishment of a transparent, syndicate-free and worker-friendly recruitment system would be welcome news for thousands of expatriates and their families,” he said.
Government sources indicate that labour migration, immigration, trade, investment, skilled workforce exports and regional cooperation will feature prominently during bilateral talks between the two leaders. Officials from the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur have confirmed that preparations for the visit are underway, while Bangladesh’s Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, recently expressed confidence that the labour market issue would soon be resolved. “The labour market will reopen. Within 10 to 15 days, or at most within a month, the situation will become clear,” the minister said at a recent press briefing.
Malaysia first closed its labour market to Bangladeshi workers in 2008, reopened it in 2016, suspended it again in 2018 amid allegations of irregularities, resumed recruitment in 2022 and once more halted new worker entries in 2024. Despite several diplomatic initiatives by successive governments, efforts to fully restore labour migration have yet to achieve a breakthrough. As anticipation builds ahead of Prime Minister Rahman’s visit, Bangladeshi workers and employers alike are hopeful that high-level discussions between the two governments will pave the way for the reopening of the labour market, the regularisation of undocumented workers and a new chapter in Bangladesh�"Malaysia labour cooperation.
