Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil clarifies that Malaysia has no commitment to recruit 200,000 Bangladeshi workers, refuting foreign media reports.
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has no commitment to recruit 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next six months, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said today, dismissing reports that the recruitment exercise would begin in phases from the end of September.
Fahmi said he had contacted the Human Resources Ministry regarding the matter and was informed that the figure originated from a junior Bangladeshi minister and did not represent an official decision by the Bangladesh government.
“It was made by someone, I understand, a junior minister. So it does not represent an official decision of the Bangladesh government,” he said at a press conference here.
His remarks came after Bangladesh’s junior minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam was reported to have said Malaysia would recruit about 200,000 workers over six months, with recruitment expected to begin in phases from the end of September.
Fahmi’s clarification means the reported 200,000-worker intake should not be regarded as a confirmed Malaysian government recruitment decision.
Malaysia has restricted the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers since 2024, while Dhaka has continued to seek greater access to the Malaysian labour market.
Bangladesh remains one of Malaysia’s major sources of foreign labour, with its nationals employed in sectors including construction, manufacturing, plantations and services.
Any decision to significantly increase the intake of Bangladeshi workers would therefore require confirmation from the Malaysian authorities.
