The third Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting between Bangladesh and Malaysia, aimed at ensuring safe migration and employment, is set to begin tomorrow in Dhaka.
A 12-member delegation from the Malaysian government has already arrived in Dhaka to attend the meeting. The two-day-long meeting will be held at the InterContinental Hotel.
Confirming the development, Gazi Md Shahed Anwar, deputy secretary (Employment-3 branch) of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, told The Daily Star today that the deputy secretary-general (policy and enforcement) of Malaysia will lead the Malaysian delegation, while the senior secretary of the ministry will lead the Bangladeshi delegation during the JWG.
Sources at the ministry said the declaration may pave the way for sending Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia.
On May 14, ahead of the JWG meeting, a Bangladeshi delegation led by Asif Nazrul, adviser to the ministry, participated in a preparatory joint session with Malaysia's home and human resources ministers in Putrajaya.
The delegation also included Neamat Ullah Bhuiyan, senior secretary to the ministry, and Sarwoer Alam, its deputy secretary.
Lutfey Siddiqi, the chief adviser's envoy on international affairs, accompanied Nazrul in the meetings.
After the meeting, Asif Nazrul, in a video posted on Facebook, said Malaysia will hire 1-1.5 lakh foreign workers, and that he requested Human Resources Minister Sim to prioritise recruitment from Bangladesh.
The Malaysian minister said he would consider the matter.
Sim also reaffirmed Malaysia's commitment to remain an ethical employment destination by ensuring that foreign workers have access to social protection, welfare, and skills training, in line with the principles of compassion, justice, and well-being under the Malaysia Madani framework.
Currently, as per Malaysian data, about nine lakh Bangladeshis are working in Malaysia. They include nearly 500,000 who travelled to the Southeast Asian country through 101 agencies selected by the Malaysian government for recruiting Bangladeshi workers since late 2022.