Thousands of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia say they have fallen victim to recruitment syndicates, fake job offers, and excessive migration costs, leaving many unemployed, indebted, and vulnerable to immigration violations despite paying large sums to secure work abroad.
Malaysia, one of Southeast Asia’s largest labor markets, has long been a preferred destination for Bangladeshi workers seeking higher incomes and better opportunities. However, interviews with Bangladeshi expatriates and community leaders across the country suggest that for many migrants, the promise of a better future has instead led to financial hardship and uncertainty.
According to expatriates, irregularities in the recruitment process and the dominance of brokers and middlemen have been among the key reasons Malaysia has repeatedly suspended the intake of workers from Bangladesh over the years.
Many workers arrive in Malaysia after being promised jobs with specific companies, only to discover that no work is available upon arrival. Some remain unemployed for months, while others are forced to seek work elsewhere to survive. As a result, many end up working outside the terms of their permits, exposing themselves to immigration violations and legal complications.
The issue has drawn renewed attention following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visit to Malaysia, during which labor migration, the reopening of the labor market, and the situation of detained Bangladeshis were discussed with Malaysian leaders.
Rubel Mia from Kaunia Upazila in Rangpur arrived in Malaysia nearly five years ago after spending several lakh taka to secure employment abroad. The job he had been promised, however, never materialized.
Since then, he has relied on temporary work while struggling to repay debts incurred to finance his migration. The costs of visa renewals and other administrative expenses have further added to his financial burden.
Rukon Uddin from Gazipur shared a similar experience. The company that recruited him was later unable to provide sufficient work. To earn a living, he now works elsewhere while living in constant fear of immigration raids and law enforcement operations.
Community leaders say such cases are far from isolated. Rather, they reflect the reality faced by a significant number of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.
Many companies recruited more workers than they actually needed, while others secured recruitment approvals without having the capacity to employ the workers they brought in. As a result, thousands of migrants have found themselves without jobs after arrival.
Hossain Ali, a businessman who has lived in Malaysia for more than three decades, said recruitment agents often lure villagers with promises of high-paying jobs abroad and collect large sums of money from them.
In many cases, he said, fake documents, fraudulent job offers, and misleading information are used to attract prospective migrants. Families frequently sell land or take out loans to finance migration costs, only to face severe financial hardship when reality fails to match expectations.
Expatriates allege that a vast network of brokers and intermediaries operating between Bangladesh and Malaysia effectively controls the recruitment process. This network significantly inflates migration costs while offering little assurance of actual employment opportunities.
Aminul Islam Ratan, originally from Chuadanga and a resident of Kuala Lumpur since 1993, currently works as an operations manager at a local diagnostic center. He believes that the concentration of influence among a small group of individuals and agencies, combined with a lack of transparency, poses the greatest threat to the labor market.
“For years, a system has existed in which a handful of influential groups have profited from worker recruitment, while ordinary migrant workers have borne the consequences,” he said.
According to Ratan, growing concerns over recruitment irregularities eventually prompted Malaysian authorities to adopt a stricter stance toward labor recruitment. As a result, not only was the intake of new workers affected, but many existing migrant workers also faced uncertainty and hardship.
One of the most alarming consequences of the crisis has been the rise in the number of undocumented migrants. Unable to find work or struggling with legal documentation issues, many Bangladeshi workers have slipped into irregular status.
Some have been detained and sent to immigration detention centers or prisons, while others have spent years living in hiding.
The experience of Nasir Mir from Mymensingh illustrates this reality. After entering Malaysia through an irregular route arranged by brokers, he was detained shortly after arrival and is currently awaiting repatriation.
Expatriate organizations claim there are many similar cases, with some families in Bangladesh unaware of the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Another major concern among expatriates is the difficulty workers face in accessing essential services. They have called for measures to reduce the influence of middlemen in passport renewals, document legalization, and other administrative procedures, arguing that a one-stop service mechanism could significantly reduce harassment and bureaucratic complications.
Mahdi Amin, spokesperson and adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office, said Bangladesh and Malaysia held positive discussions on addressing the situation of detained Bangladeshi nationals from a humanitarian perspective and on establishing a more transparent and sustainable labor recruitment system.
However, stakeholders argue that reopening the labor market alone will not be enough.
They warn that unless effective action is taken against recruitment irregularities, syndicates, and broker networks that have exploited thousands of Bangladeshi workers, the crisis could re-emerge. Without meaningful reforms, they say, any reopening of the labor market may once again benefit intermediaries while leaving ordinary migrant workers to bear the cost.
