Latest news with #labourcartels
South China Morning Post
12-08-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Malaysia-Bangladesh labour migration talks resume despite job scam fears
Talks to resume the hiring of workers from Bangladesh in Malaysia gathered pace on Tuesday, as migrant rights groups warned of the continued risk of labour cartels operating in both countries. Malaysia imposed a freeze on migrant workers from Bangladesh – its largest source country for manual labourers – in June last year after the discovery of syndicates charging workers up to US$5,000 each for non-existent jobs that left thousands stranded with no work and vulnerable to exploitation. On Tuesday, after talks with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Malaysia's administrative capital of Putrajaya, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that his government had 'given priority' to resuming the hiring of workers, as proposed by Dhaka, starting by helping those who had been left 'stranded'. In May, Malaysia agreed to allow the hiring of nearly 8,000 out of 17,000 Bangladeshis who were believed to have been duped by job syndicates. Calling Bangladesh 'an important partner', Anwar said the South Asian nation's 'workers have been instrumental in … contributing to our development.' Up to 450,000 Bangladeshis travelled to Malaysia for work between 2021 and 2023, according to labour authorities in Dhaka.
South China Morning Post
12-08-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Malaysia-Bangladesh labour migration talks resume amid job scam fears
Talks to resume the hiring of workers from Bangladesh in Malaysia gathered pace on Tuesday, as migrant rights groups warned of the continued risk of labour cartels operating in both countries. Malaysia imposed a freeze on migrant workers from Bangladesh – its largest source country for employees in manual industries – in June last year after the discovery of syndicates charging workers up to US$5,000 each for non-existent jobs that left thousands stranded with no work and vulnerable to exploitation. On Tuesday, after talks with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Malaysia's administrative capital Putrajaya, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his government had 'given priority' to Bangladesh's proposals to resume the hiring of its workers, first by helping those 'stranded' in Malaysia. In May, Malaysia agreed to allow the hiring of nearly 8,000 out of 17,000 Bangladeshis who were believed to have been duped by job syndicates. Calling Bangladesh 'an important partner,' Anwar said the nation's 'workers have been instrumental in … contributing to our development.' Bangladesh sent up to 450,000 people to work in Malaysia between 2021 and 2023, according to labour authorities in Dhaka.
