The National Association of Private Employment Agencies Malaysia (Papsma) has urged the Malaysian government to expedite the entry of Bangladeshi workers to address the shortage of employees in different sectors of the country.
“The manpower shortage is considered to have exceeded two million foreign workers in main sectors that are not of interest to the local workforce, such as manufacturing, construction and 3D sectors,” Papsma President Datuk Megat Fairouz Junaidi Megat Junid said, reports The Star.
According to him, the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) stated that Malaysia would lose as much as one billion Malaysian ringgit, as palm oil would not be harvested on time due to the lack of foreign workers — in a statement in February
They also noted that many workers had to return to their countries.
“As such, Papsma is seeking the cooperation of the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers, which is expected to meet soon, to approve the entry of foreign workers from Bangladesh through policies laid down by the Malaysian government,” Megat said.
He added that the opportunity to bring in these workers should include all members of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agents (Baira) and not just a few members.
On the other hand, on June 2, Malaysian Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan said the demand for Bangladeshi workers is not as high as it used to be.
The minister also questioned Baira’s criticism of Malaysia’s proposal to appoint only 25 Bangladesh Recruitment Agencies and 250 sub-agents.
“Baira should thank me that I increased it from 10 to 25,” he said, asking why they were not making similar demands to Singapore.
In December last year, Malaysia and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, effective for five years until December 2026.
Saravanan said in a statement that the MoU outlined the responsibilities of both countries, including those related to the employers from Malaysia and workers from Bangladesh as well as the duties of private employment agencies in both countries.