Malaysia to set up transit centre for foreign workers to tighten recruitment oversight
The proposed facility is aimed at preventing migrant workers from being diverted to unauthorised employers and reducing exploitation in Malaysia's foreign labour recruitment system.
Highlights
- Malaysia plans transit centre for newly arrived foreign workers
- Facility aims to prevent workers from being diverted after arrival
- Government says the measure will strengthen oversight of labour recruitment
- Temporary centre expected to accommodate up to 2,000 workers
Malaysia today (6 July) unveiled plans to establish a dedicated transit centre for newly arrived foreign workers as part of a broader effort to tighten oversight of migrant labour recruitment and curb exploitation within the system.
Announcing the plan, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan said foreign workers would be taken to the transit facility immediately after arriving in the country and remain there until they are collected by their registered employers, reports Edge Malaysia.
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He said the proposed arrangement is designed to ensure that workers are received by the employers who obtained approval to recruit them, preventing them from being redirected to other employers or left unattended after landing.
"We want to ensure that employers who apply are the same employers who receive the workers. We do not want a situation where, upon arrival at the airport, a worker is supposed to go to employer A but ends up with employer B or C, or is left roaming around," Ramanan told reporters.
He added that the system would also help streamline the arrival process for migrant workers and reduce congestion at airports.
Malaysia's foreign worker recruitment framework has faced growing scrutiny over allegations that it enables exploitation, particularly of migrant workers from lower-income countries, including Bangladesh, many of whom incur significant debts to secure jobs abroad.
The controversy has centred on the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), developed by Bestinet Sdn Bhd, a company founded by Datuk Seri Aminul Islam. Both the company and its founder have consistently rejected allegations of misconduct.
Ramanan said the government is working to address weaknesses in the recruitment process and that planning for the transit centre is already underway.
Officials from the Human Resources Ministry, including the secretary general, deputy secretary general and the newly established Foreign Worker Management Division, are currently assessing potential locations for the facility.
The minister said the government may initially operate a temporary transit centre before establishing a permanent one.
According to preliminary estimates, the temporary facility will need the capacity to accommodate between 1,000 and 2,000 foreign workers at a time.
He emphasised that the centre would only provide short-term accommodation while workers await collection by their employers and would not serve as either a detention facility or permanent housing.
