Malaysian labor market to reopen soon: Minister

The Malaysian labor market for Bangladeshi workers will reopen soon, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury announced today, while issuing a stern warning against the influence of syndicates.

He said this in response to a question from reporters after a meeting with Qatari Labor Minister Ali bin Saeed bin Samikh Al Marri, who is visiting Dhaka on Monday (May 18).

The Employment Minister also said, "Our jihad against syndicates is ongoing."

It is worth noting that the Bangladeshi labor market in Malaysia has been closed since 2024. According to the announcement of the then Malaysian government, workers who had received prior approval had to enter the country by May 31 of that year and after that, no one was allowed to enter on a worker visa. Since that time, no new workers have been able to enter the country and despite several attempts by the interim government, it has not been possible to open this labor market.

However, after the formation of the BNP government, new initiatives were taken to reopen this important manpower market. In continuation of this, Expatriates' Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury and Prime Minister's Advisor Mahdi Amin visited Malaysia last April to formally discuss the opening of the market.