Malaysia is expected to recruit a maximum of 30,000 to 40,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next year, said Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.

He made the remark yesterday at a seminar titled "Japan's Labour Market: Opportunities and Challenges", organised by the ministry at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka.

"There is a lot of hype that Malaysia will take 1 to 1.2 million workers from Bangladesh. I've just returned from there. In reality, Malaysia will take no more than 30,000 to 40,000 workers over the next year," said Nazrul.

"The previous government had signed an agreement with Malaysia under which they agreed to provide a list of recruiting agencies, and Malaysia would select from them. This is a formal agreement between the two parties -- what we call a 'syndicate'. Now that we've taken over, everyone is saying the syndicate system must be abolished," said the adviser.

"But to do that, we need to amend the agreement. We can't force Malaysia to change it. If they refuse, we have two options: follow their terms and send workers through 25, 50, or 100 agencies, or stop sending workers altogether," he said.

"If I send workers through the existing syndicate, I'll be accused of being a part of it. But if I don't send anyone, 40,000 workers will miss out, and Malaysia will remember that. This could affect up to two lakh families in the long run," he added.

JAPAN LABOUR MARKET

Speaking about Japan, the adviser said there is a strong demand for workers, but Bangladesh currently lacks the skilled workforce to meet that demand.

"We have unskilled workers, many of whom are learning Japanese, but they are not yet fully prepared. The solution is to upskill them according to Japan's needs," he said.

"We have established a 'Japan Cell' with plans for a dedicated website," he added.

"In the case of Japan, we are removing all intermediary processes on our end. We are also considering public-private partnerships to train workers," said Nazrul.

"We're asking Japanese entrepreneurs to take over our Technical Training Centers (TTCs) -- bring their experts and train our workers. We're ready to hand over entire TTCs. We've already handed over the Manohardi TTC to be redesigned according to their requirements," he said, adding that another model involves working with different non-government organisations.

FAKE DOCUMENTS CAUSING VISA ISSUES

At the event, Lutfor Siddique, chief adviser's special envoy on international affairs, said fake certificates and bank statements are a major reason behind visa complications for Bangladeshi migrants.

"Many of our workers think going abroad is the only goal, even if it means using fake documents and lacking proper skills. This mindset is creating visa issues in many countries," he said.

"Getting a visa appointment for Japan is now extremely difficult, largely due to the submission of forged certificates and fake bank statements. There must be legal consequences for such actions," Siddique added.