Malaysia’s Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) has listed 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies on its website, but the process through which workers will be recruited and sent to Malaysia remains unclear.
The names appear under the “Registered Recruitment Agencies” section of the FWCMS website.
The platform, however, does not mention when the Bangladesh list was uploaded or provide details on how the agencies will operate under the new recruitment arrangement.
The development comes amid continuing uncertainty over the reopening of Malaysia’s labour market to Bangladeshi workers and concerns over whether the new system will address problems that plagued earlier recruitment arrangements.
Malaysia suspended the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in June 2024 following allegations of excessive migration costs, workers arriving without jobs and other forms of exploitation.
During the 2022–24 recruitment period, Malaysia authorised only 101 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies. Even when other licensed agencies secured job orders from Malaysian employers, those orders had to be processed through one of the 101 agencies listed in the FWCMS.
The arrangement drew criticism over limited transparency and allegations of syndicate control.
Following talks between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during Tarique’s June 21–22 visit to Malaysia, the two governments agreed to convene a joint working group to review the existing memorandum of understanding on labour migration and prepare a revised agreement.
Malaysia later said foreign worker quota applications would be processed through the eQuota module under the FWCMS.
Amid uncertainty over the new recruitment mechanism, Bangladesh’s expatriates’ welfare ministry had earlier instructed recruiting agencies not to sign contracts, collect passports, arrange medical examinations or take payments until the government formally announces the process.
The ministry warned that any recruitment activity before such an announcement would be considered unauthorised.
The FWCMS listing now identifies 25 Bangladeshi agencies, but does not clarify whether recruitment will be limited to them, how job orders will be distributed, or when workers will begin travelling to Malaysia.