State Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury assured that the Malaysian labour market will remain open for Bangladeshi workers.
"The government is actively working to secure and expand the labour quota in Malaysia. We have been in contact with Malaysian authorities, and I can confidently state that Malaysia's labour market will not be closed. It will remain open," the minister said at a program at the ministry on Thursday (16 May).
Under the current quota, the Malaysian government has mandated that workers from 14 labour-sending countries, including Bangladesh, must enter Malaysia by 31 May 2024.
"We are working diligently to ensure that all our workers are sent to Malaysia within the stipulated timeframe," the minister added.
The ministry has also requested an extension for this deadline to ensure that all workers can be deployed as per the quota.
"Even if the extension is not granted, we are prepared to meet the 31 May deadline," Shafiqur Rahman assured.
All the workers remaining in the quota are in the process of going to Malaysia.
He said that our technical training centres are working to create skilled manpower and send them abroad as per the instructions of the honourable Prime Minister.
"Skilled manpower is one of the tools for Bangladesh to move forward. Freedom fighters made Bangladesh independent, remittance fighters are working to make the country prosperous and smart," said the minister.
Since October 2022, Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOSEL) has been sending manpower to Malaysia free of cost.
A total of 1,308 workers have been sent through Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOSEL) so far.
Another batch of 73 workers will move to United Plantations Berhad, one of Malaysia's largest plantation companies.
