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The Malaysian government is actively considering recruiting Bangladeshi workers again as the demands for the same are coming from employers of the country.
The Malaysian Home Ministry is now conducting a study on the necessity to reopen recruitment of Bangladeshi workers following requests from employers, particularly from the manufacturing, services and textile sectors.
Bangladesh sees the government's move as a "positive one" and has welcomed it.
Malaysian Deputy Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho said that the study was expected to be completed in a month, according to a report by Bernama from Putrajaya.
Bangladesh's High Commissioner to Kuala Lumpur Shafi U Ahmed told BDNEWS over telephone Thursday that the Bangladeshi workers had high reputation among Malaysian employers for their hard work, industriousness and honesty.
"We should wait and see what happens next," he said.
The findings of the study would be submitted to the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers headed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for a decision, Deputy Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho told reporters Wednesday after meeting representatives of the Textile Manufacturers Association.
Recruitment of Bangladeshi workers was prohibited in 2000 due to several factors, including social problems. The decision was made following advice from the police department.
Hard-working and able to speak in Malay are among the reasons given by employers for their preference to engage Bangladeshis, the Malaysian deputy minister said.
Currently, about 51,000 Bangladeshi workers are working in the manufacturing sector, according to Malaysian officials.
Earlier, the Malaysian government declared a general amnesty for illegal workers from October 14, 2004 to January 31, and extended the date again to February 28 that was labelled as "Operation Nasihat" for foreign workers to quit.
About 8,000 Bangladeshi illegal workers took the opportunity to leave Malaysia within the period though several others failed not avail it due to either shortage of money or fear if they cannot come back again.
As the amnesty was over, the authorities cracked down on the illegal workers under operation 'Ops Tegas' netting several hundred illegal workers, mostly Indonesian.
Malaysia urgently needs 300,000 foreign workers for its industrial sector, which is at risk of losing hundreds of millions of Malaysian ringgit a month without them.
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