Malaysia will resume  recruitment of Bangladeshi workers from the last week of August, Prime Minister’s Adviser and spokesperson Mahdi Amin said on Thursday.

“We have set a realistic target so that Bangladeshi workers can start travelling to Malaysia from the last week of August,” he said at a press conference at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. 

Labour and Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury was also present at the press conference.

Mahdi thanked the Malaysian government for taking steps to reopen the labour market after a prolonged suspension, expressing gratitude to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan and other relevant authorities for their cooperation.

He said the government’s efforts have been guided by the principle of “Bangladesh First” to protect the interests of the country’s large workforce, expressing hope that the resumption of worker migration would make a significant contribution to Bangladesh’s economy in the long run.

Mahdi urged aspiring migrant workers to remain patient and follow official procedures, warning them against middlemen and fraudulent syndicates.

He said the government would take strict action against brokers and dishonest recruitment networks to ensure that workers are not subjected to harassment or exploitation.

The adviser said technical-level work between the two countries would begin shortly, with the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka working jointly to facilitate the process.