Bangladeshi workers top Malaysia’s foreign labor market with over 800,000 active employees

Bangladeshi nationals are now the largest group of legally employed foreign workers in Malaysia, comprising 37 percent of the country’s total foreign labor force, according to Malaysia’s Home Minister.

A total of 803,332 Bangladeshis are currently working in Malaysia under temporary work visit passes, the minister revealed in response to a parliamentary question.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail explained that the post-COVID economic recovery in Malaysia has increased demand for foreign labor. After the borders reopened in 2022, around 50,000 Bangladeshi workers entered the country.

The minister noted that in 2023, Malaysia implemented a more relaxed policy for hiring foreign labor, which allowed a significant number of Bangladeshi workers to secure employment. That year, approximately 400,000 new Bangladeshi workers went to Malaysia.

Regarding deportations and law enforcement, he added that 20,331 Bangladeshis were repatriated in 2022 and 23,065 in 2023.

Additionally, 790 Bangladeshi workers were arrested for overstaying their visas during the same period.