Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur are set to sign an agreement today (Sunday) to resume manpower recruitment from Bangladesh, raising hopes for overseas employment opportunities in the South East Asian nation.
A delegation, led by expatriates' welfare and overseas employment minister Imran Ahmad, was scheduled to fly for Malaysia on Saturday night to sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The reopening comes after more than three years' ban following alleged syndication under the previous recruitment system.
The Malaysian government has stopped hiring workers from Bangladesh since 2018.
The minister at a press conference on Friday confirmed Sunday's signing of an MoU between the countries, signalling that he would try to send workers with a minimum migration cost.
About dismantling syndication, he said: "I had been working from the beginning so that previous problems don't repeat in the manpower-sending process…"
While attending a programme to mark International Migrants' Day on Saturday, Mr Ahmad reiterated that no syndicate would be allowed to send workers to Malaysia.
His ministry hosted the programme in observance of the day at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
On December 10, the Malaysian government gave its consent to an agreement with Bangladesh on the resumption of manpower recruitment.
According to a media statement by the Malaysia minister of human resources, recruitment and employment of foreign workers, hiring is now open to all sectors.
"The recruitment of these foreign workers will be open to sectors… namely plantations, agriculture, manufacturing, services, mining and quarrying, construction and domestic servants," it says.
Officials believe the number of overseas jobs will increase significantly in 2022 following the resumption of the Malaysian market.
More than 1.0-million Bangladeshis have gone to Malaysia for jobs since 1978, discloses data available with the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training.
Sector insiders say an estimated 0.6-million Bangladeshi workers are now staying there.
Local manpower recruiters hope the ongoing setup will create a good opportunity for Bangladeshi workers to find jobs over there.
At the same time, they suggest that the authorities take necessary steps to control malpractices.
Migration experts also seek steps to ensure a vibrant process of protecting the interests of workers.
When asked, Abu Hatiyat, a Malaysia-based Bangladeshi freelance researcher, suggests that both governments ensure a strong monitoring system to check any irregularity in the system.
A section of recruiters is always active to exploit workers through wrongdoings like syndication. The authorities should control it, he says.
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