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Bangladesh-Malaysia recruitment reforms revive old questions over the cost of migration

Illustration: Bangladesh-Malaysia recruitment reforms revive old questions over the cost of migration
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Efforts to restart the flow of Bangladeshi migrant workers to Malaysia have run into fresh uncertainty, reviving longstanding concerns about the financial burden placed on workers and the transparency of recruitment practices. The two countries have spent more than three decades attempting to manage their labour migration relationship, with the corridor repeatedly halted and restarted amid allegations of excessive fees, informal intermediaries and worker exploitation.

A long history of disruption

Formal labour migration between Bangladesh and Malaysia began in the early 1990s, with hundreds of thousands of workers moving to fill roles primarily in construction and agriculture. The corridor has since been suspended and reopened multiple times. A government-to-government recruitment model introduced in 2012 helped lower costs initially but failed to meet its targets. A revised arrangement that followed was later linked to allegations of syndication, with workers reportedly paying far more than the agreed fees. Malaysia suspended recruitment in 2018, resumed it in late 2021, and closed the market again in mid-2024 amid renewed concerns.

Investigations into the most recent recruitment cycle produced serious findings. Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission alleged that agencies under scrutiny had collected the equivalent of around 370 million US dollars in excess fees from workers bound for Malaysia. Although the government-approved migration cost was set at the equivalent of roughly 645 US dollars, some workers were allegedly charged five times that amount. Wider research has put average recruitment costs for the Bangladesh–Malaysia corridor at around 5,000 US dollars per worker, with the majority of those surveyed spending at least half their monthly earnings on repaying recruitment debt.

Uncertainty in the new cycle

In August 2026, Bangladeshi officials outlined a new recruitment arrangement involving 25 agencies selected by Malaysia and more than 300 approved associates. Plans were also announced to send an initial group of workers on a zero-cost basis. However, a Malaysian government spokesperson clarified that figures cited by a Bangladeshi minister did not reflect an official Malaysian position. By the end of September 2026, key details including the final approved migration cost, departure schedule and full recruitment procedure had not yet been announced publicly.

Advocacy groups and UN human rights experts have called on both governments to strengthen oversight of recruitment, provide remedies for affected workers and take coordinated action against exploitative networks. For workers and families who have already taken on debt in anticipation of employment abroad, the continued delays carry immediate and significant financial consequences.

This article is adapted from “Bangladesh-Malaysia recruitment reforms revive old questions over the cost of migration” published by Global Voices, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Changes were made. Read the original story at the link above.

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