The Malaysian government has decided to reopen its job market to Bangladeshi workers.
Malaysia conveyed its decision to the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Bangladesh officials in both the capitals told New Age.
They said that Malaysian was likely to start hiring workers from Bangladesh after two weeks.
Initially, they said, Malaysia would recruit workers for its plantation, construction and manufacturing sectors.
No migration cost has been fixed as yet, said officials and recruiting agents.
Officials said that the expatiates welfare and overseas employment ministry wants to fix the migration cost for each worker at Tk 37,000.
On February 19, Malaysia froze hiring workers from abroad.
Labour counsellor at Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia Md Sayedul Islam told New Age Monday that the Malaysian government had lifted the ban on hiring workers from Bangladesh.
He said that the Malaysian government conveyed its decision to Bangladesh High Commission in the first week of September.
He also said that private recruiting agencies would hire the workers.
An executive committee member of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies told New Age that BAIRA leaders discussed the issue of sending a huge number of workers at minimum migration cost with the expatriates welfare and overseas employment minister before Eid-ul-Azha.
He said that the recruitments for plantation, construction and manufacturing sectors would start in early October.
He said up to seven lakh workers would be hired by Malaysia just.
EWOE ministry additional secretary for mission and welfare Mohammad Azharul Haque told New Age that the ministry had already sent a list of about 750 recruiting agencies to the Malaysian authorities with a request to allow them to recruit workers.
He said that the EWOE ministry was holding discussions with BAIRA to fix a reasonable migration cost.
Recently Malaysian companies began hiring skilled workers from Bangladesh showing them as professionals.
A group of recruiting agencies formed a syndicate to control the recruitments for Malaysia.
To achieve the objective they recently signed a memorandum of understating with a private Malaysian recruitment agency.
This group also set up centres for medical checkups of Malaysia-bound workers.
EWOE minister Nurul Islam said that the government would allow no syndicate to control recruitment of Bangladeshi workers.
He said that the government would allow sending the workers by local recruiting agencies with good track records only.
Source: New Age
