Experts: Strong lobby can help boost labour export to Malaysia
High-level visits of Bangladesh delegation to Malaysia at regular level will help regularize unregistered workers
Migrant Workers At Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Dhaka Tribune
Imtiaz Ahmed
Publish : 14 Dec 2021, 07:54 PMUpdate : 03 Mar 2022, 10:53 AM
As Malaysia has decided to reopen its labour market recently, Bangladesh needs to negotiate effectively and successfully with the Southeast Asian country on penetrating into the labour market, while overlooking interests of vested groups.
Sources at Bangladesh Association of international Recruiting Agencies (Baira) and Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), and Bangladesh -Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BMCCI) expressed their observations to Dhaka Tribune.
Sources said that countries like Nepal, Pakistan, India, Indonesia and Cambodia have started lobbying with Indonesia to recruit workers of their respective countries.
High-level visits of Bangladesh delegation to Malaysia at regular level will help regularize unregistered workers and penetrate and explore the labour market in Southeast Asian countries, said a Baira leader.
He also said that political relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia need to be nurtured to raise new heights in the days to come.
The visits of some important ministers like Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Home Minister Assaduzman Khan Kamal, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Planning Minister MA Mannan, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam to Malaysia at regular intervals is important in the context of regularizing unregistered Bangladeshis and taking workers in good number, he also said.
Malaysia is home to some 800,000-1 million Bangladeshis, according to an unofficial estimate.
Bangladesh exported a total of 485,893 workers during the January-November period of 2021, a total of 217,669 in 2020, 700,159 in 2019, 734,181 in 2018, 10008, 528 in 2017 and 757,731 workers in 2016 to different countries, according to the BMET.
However, labour exports to Malaysia recorded at 919 in 2009, 742 in 2011 and 804 in 2012, 3,853 in 2013 and 5,134 in 2014 showing that labour exports to the Southeast Asian country also suffered during 2010—2014.
Bangladesh had exported a total of 1.06 million skilled and unskilled workers to the Southeast Asian country during 1976--2019 period, according to the BMET.
SM Zillur Rahman, chairman of Rahman Group and former director of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Dhaka Tribune that opening of markets is important to boost labour export.
The former DCCI director also said that the mass vaccination drive is a large contributor to the revival.
As labour exports to Malaysia are expected to open soon, the government should also devise mid- and long-term strategies to send more skilled workers abroad as some more labour markets are expected to reopen this year, said a Baira member.
Ali Haider Chowdhury, former secretary general of Baira, told the Dhaka Tribune that the government should be wary about vested quarters in both countries.
Meanwhile, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed is scheduled to fly to Malaysia on 18 December.
Bangladesh and Malaysia may sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) later in December this year to reopen the labour market for Bangladeshi workers.
Earlier on Friday, the Malaysian cabinet decided to reopen the recruitment of Bangladeshi and Indonesian workers as it was closed from 2018.
The Southeast Asian country decided to open recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in all sectors including plantation, agriculture, manufacturing, services, mining, construction and household service.
Experts: Strong lobby can help boost labour export to Malaysia
High-level visits of Bangladesh delegation to Malaysia at regular level will help regularize unregistered workers
As Malaysia has decided to reopen its labour market recently, Bangladesh needs to negotiate effectively and successfully with the Southeast Asian country on penetrating into the labour market, while overlooking interests of vested groups.
Sources at Bangladesh Association of international Recruiting Agencies (Baira) and Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), and Bangladesh -Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BMCCI) expressed their observations to Dhaka Tribune.
Sources said that countries like Nepal, Pakistan, India, Indonesia and Cambodia have started lobbying with Indonesia to recruit workers of their respective countries.
High-level visits of Bangladesh delegation to Malaysia at regular level will help regularize unregistered workers and penetrate and explore the labour market in Southeast Asian countries, said a Baira leader.
He also said that political relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia need to be nurtured to raise new heights in the days to come.
The visits of some important ministers like Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Home Minister Assaduzman Khan Kamal, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Planning Minister MA Mannan, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam to Malaysia at regular intervals is important in the context of regularizing unregistered Bangladeshis and taking workers in good number, he also said.
Malaysia is home to some 800,000-1 million Bangladeshis, according to an unofficial estimate.
Bangladesh exported a total of 485,893 workers during the January-November period of 2021, a total of 217,669 in 2020, 700,159 in 2019, 734,181 in 2018, 10008, 528 in 2017 and 757,731 workers in 2016 to different countries, according to the BMET.
However, labour exports to Malaysia recorded at 919 in 2009, 742 in 2011 and 804 in 2012, 3,853 in 2013 and 5,134 in 2014 showing that labour exports to the Southeast Asian country also suffered during 2010—2014.
Bangladesh had exported a total of 1.06 million skilled and unskilled workers to the Southeast Asian country during 1976--2019 period, according to the BMET.
SM Zillur Rahman, chairman of Rahman Group and former director of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Dhaka Tribune that opening of markets is important to boost labour export.
The former DCCI director also said that the mass vaccination drive is a large contributor to the revival.
As labour exports to Malaysia are expected to open soon, the government should also devise mid- and long-term strategies to send more skilled workers abroad as some more labour markets are expected to reopen this year, said a Baira member.
Ali Haider Chowdhury, former secretary general of Baira, told the Dhaka Tribune that the government should be wary about vested quarters in both countries.
Meanwhile, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed is scheduled to fly to Malaysia on 18 December.
Bangladesh and Malaysia may sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) later in December this year to reopen the labour market for Bangladeshi workers.
Earlier on Friday, the Malaysian cabinet decided to reopen the recruitment of Bangladeshi and Indonesian workers as it was closed from 2018.
The Southeast Asian country decided to open recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in all sectors including plantation, agriculture, manufacturing, services, mining, construction and household service.
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