Malaysia to reopen labor market

* Hiring of Bangladeshis to resume soon 

* Malaysia hosts over 800,000 Bangladeshi workers

* In addition, there are also an estimated two lakh undocumented Bangladeshi migrants

Malaysian authorities have agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to resume the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers.  The Bangladeshi labour market in the East Asian country had been closed since 2018. 

The decision came following a cabinet meeting of Bangladesh's Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry with Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Seri M Saravanan held Friday, reads a media statement. 

The recruitment of Bangladeshi employees will be open for all sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, services, mining, construction and domestic servants. 

Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources will co-operate with its health ministry and national security council to refine Standing Operating Procedures (SOP) for foreign workers' admission to prevent the spread of Covid-19. 

The meeting also agreed to defer the implementation of multi-tier levy from 1 January 2022 to 1 July 2022. 

According to a report, Malaysia hosts about 800,000 Bangladeshi workers, including an estimated two lakh undocumented ones.

There is an ongoing regularisation programme called "recalibration" for the undocumented workers. They can get jobs and regularised only if the immigration department is satisfied that their employer really has jobs. Therefore, the rate of regularisation is low now.

Traditionally, many employers hire undocumented workers and pay them less than regular salaries. But this practice is shrinking now as the government has tightened rules against such recruitments.

Even if one has a work permit, he has to work for the particular company that originally hired him. Otherwise, the employer is fined. Closure of many businesses and tightening of laws have made the situation worse for foreign workers. 

The manufacturing, construction, service, plantation and commodities sectors are open now, but their businesses are yet to be fully operational. The government has banned foreign workers from working in the wet markets for fear of spread of the virus -- a decision which resulted in joblessness of many Bangladeshis.

Meanwhile, economic slowdown has left several lakh Malaysians jobless. They, however, have been brought under various public social safety schemes, but not the foreign workers.