August 15, 2025
DHAKA – Malaysia and Bangladesh have agreed to work towards establishing a more transparent recruitment process for Bangladeshi workers, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus told Malaysia’s state news agency Bernama in an interview published yesterday.
He said the matter was discussed in depth during his meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on August 12.
Prof Yunus also acknowledged flaws in the current process and stressed the need to “clean it up” to avoid problems for either side.
Malaysia froze recruitment of foreign workers on May 13 last year following massive irregularities involving a syndicate of 101 recruiting agents, who were accused of charging each worker between Tk 450,000 and Tk 600,000. There were numerous reports of joblessness, non-payment of wages and other forms of exploitation.
“We had a very elaborate discussion on how to proceed without having trouble for the Malaysian government. We both promised ourselves to clean up the system and to make it easier and transparent,” Prof Yunus told Bernama.
The Nobel laureate said while Malaysia needs foreign workers, Bangladesh seeks to ensure that the recruitment of its citizens is transparent, allowing them to work abroad with dignity, proper rights and benefits.
“Malaysia needs people, and we need to have these people come here to make a living for themselves and their families. So both sides need each other. There is no shortage of goodwill. It’s a question of putting together and seeing where things go wrong, and then we track and clean it up.”
As of February 2025, Bangladeshi nationals form the largest group of foreign workers in Malaysia, numbering 898,970, working primarily in the construction, manufacturing, plantation and service sectors. Around 400,000 Bangladeshis are estimated to be irregular due to malpractices by agents and employers.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Interior Minister Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail described Prof Yunus’s visit as a very positive development in Malaysia-Bangladesh bilateral relations, particularly in strengthening strategic and high-impact multi-sector cooperation.
In a Facebook post yesterday, he said the Malaysian home ministry (KDN) believes that regional peace can only be achieved through close ASEAN cooperation and support from the international community.