Malaysia to recruit 10,000 Bangladeshis under 'zero-cost' system: Ministry
Malaysia selects 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies, allows 312 others to operate as associate agencies.
Malaysia has agreed to recruit 10,000 Bangladeshi workers under a "zero-cost" arrangement and is set to resume hiring from Bangladesh soon through a transparent process, according to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.
In a press release issued today (28 August), the ministry said the recruitment issue had received top priority in several ministerial-level meetings between Bangladesh and Malaysia.
During his first foreign visit, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman discussed the resumption of recruitment of Bangladeshi workers with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, the release said.
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The first batch of workers will travel on special chartered flights through state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), without airfare or other migration-related costs, according to the ministry.
The ministry said Malaysia had directly selected 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies and allowed another 312 agencies to operate as associate recruitment agencies.
The agencies were screened by a high-level Malaysian joint committee comprising representatives of relevant ministries, the Anti-Corruption Commission and law enforcement agencies, with no involvement from the Bangladesh government, the release said.
Recruitment from Bangladesh had remained suspended amid allegations of corruption, mismanagement, syndication and irregularities during the previous regime, it added.
The ministry urged prospective workers not to make payments, undergo medical tests or submit passports until it issues an official notice.
It also warned jobseekers against brokers and fraudulent groups seeking to exploit the recruitment process.
