The two countries have agreed to move forward with the process of reopening the Malaysian labor market for Bangladeshi workers. At the same time, Malaysia and Bangladesh have reached a consensus on reducing immigration costs and ensuring a transparent recruitment system.
A bilateral meeting between the two countries on labor migration was held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Thursday (April 9).
Minister for Labor and Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Affairs Ariful Haque Chowdhury and Prime Minister’s Advisor Mahdi Amin visited Malaysia on Wednesday (April 8) to discuss labor market issues. This is the first high-level visit related to the labor market after the new government took office.
The meeting discussed accelerating the process of reopening the labor market for Bangladeshi workers based on Malaysia’s sector-specific needs, while emphasizing ensuring a fair, ethical, and transparent recruitment system.
The joint statement issued after the meeting said that both countries are committed to further strengthening their long-standing partnership on labor migration. A transparent and inclusive framework will be developed to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration.
It also says that effective steps will be taken to reduce intermediaries, reduce immigration costs, use reliable recruitment agencies, and quickly recruit stranded workers.
The joint statement also announced Malaysia’s initiative to launch a technology-enabled, AI-based recruitment system, aiming to reduce the cost of labor migration by reducing intermediaries and making the recruitment process more transparent.
Bangladesh has expressed interest in cooperating in implementing such a digital platform.
The meeting also discussed ways to make the labor market more efficient through skills development, training, certification, and information exchange. The two countries agreed to continue regular dialogue in the future.