Three high-level visits, repeated assurances of syndicate-free recruitment and an August target for sending workers have failed so far to reopen Malaysia’s labour market, while concerns are mounting that a select group of recruiting agencies could gain privileged access to the lucrative market.

Since April, ministers and advisers have travelled to Malaysia for rounds of negotiations to restart recruitment. Yet, halfway through August, there is still no publicly announced operational mechanism for sending new workers.

Following the latest mission by Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury and Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahdi Amin, the government identified the last week of August as a “realistic target” for sending workers.

On July 30, Mahdi Amin said Kuala Lumpur had agreed to resume recruitment of Bangladeshis across all sectors, with state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) initially receiving priority.

But with no final recruitment mechanism announced, meeting that target appears increasingly difficult.

Syndicate through the back door?

More contentious is what appears to be taking shape behind the negotiations.

The government has repeatedly promised that the reopened market will not be controlled by a syndicate. Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA)

sources, however, said discussions now involve 25 recruiting agencies drawn from a list of 423 submitted to Malaysia during the previous interim government.

A responsible ministry official told Aviation Express that although the agencies had not formally been assigned recruitment responsibilities, they had been asked by the minister to continue their “work”.

How the 25 agencies were identified remains unclear

Former BAIRA Joint Secretary General Mohammad Fakhrul Islam said industry stakeholders had not been informed about the selection criteria.

“We do not know how these 25 recruiting agencies were selected. The minister had promised to keep the Malaysian labour market free from syndicates, but we now fear this could instead create a powerful syndicate,” he told Aviation Express.

BAIRA sources also alleged that agencies owned by or associated with five BNP lawmakers and an influential party leader are among those seeking inclusion. They named Metco Enterprise, Rupsa Enterprise, Air Way International, Alam Sons Limited, Khandaker Overseas and Surma International.

Aviation Express could not independently establish that the agencies have been formally selected or that alleged political connections influenced the process.

High stakes, familiar fears

Malaysia’s troubled recruitment history explains the anxiety.

For 2021-2024, the government-fixed migration cost was Tk 78,990 per worker. The Anti-Corruption Commission, however, reportedly found workers were charged between Tk 500,000 and Tk 600,000.

The enormous gap underscores the financial stakes involved in controlling access to the Malaysian market and why restricting recruitment to a small number of agencies demands transparency.

Owners of several agencies reportedly under consideration have also alleged that two Malaysia-based individuals demanded 5 million Malaysian ringgit from each listed agency.

BOESL faces capacity test

The government has presented BOESL as a possible safeguard against excessive migration costs and middlemen. But questions remain over whether the state-owned recruiter has sufficient manpower and infrastructure to handle Malaysia-bound recruitment on a large scale.

BOESL Managing Director Mohammad Rashedul Haque said resources, rather than institutional capability, were the principal constraint.

“If the government provides us with the resources and facilities, we will be able to work on this because we have extensive experience and credibility in sending workers safely and at low cost,” he said.

The government now faces a critical policy choice. If BOESL lacks capacity, it can be strengthened. If private recruiters are needed, transparent eligibility criteria and open competition among qualified agencies could provide an alternative.

What would risk repeating the past is replacing one restricted network with another while describing the system as syndicate-free.

After three high-level missions, workers are still waiting. The test is no longer simply when Malaysia will reopen, but whether the government can ensure that reopening serves migrant workers rather than another privileged recruitment cartel.