Recruitment agency associations from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar have raised concerns over Malaysia’s foreign worker recruitment system and called for equal opportunity, transparency and fair competition for all legally licensed agencies. The groups issued a joint statement on Thursday, urging Malaysia and relevant stakeholders to review the FWCMS recruitment system.

The statement was signed by representatives of Nepal’s Association of Foreign Employment Agencies, Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies, Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Association and Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association. They said they support digitalisation, transparency, efficiency and responsible recruitment, but warned that no digital platform or system should enable syndication, monopoly or exclusive control over migrant worker recruitment.

The associations said thousands of agencies in sending countries are properly licensed and deserve equal, transparent and non-discriminatory access to legal recruitment. They warned that preferential access for a limited number of agencies could weaken fair competition, transparency and ethical recruitment, while potentially increasing costs and limiting choices for employers and migrant workers. They listed four demands, including open competitive distribution of recruitment opportunities and prioritising migrant workers’ rights and welfare. On August 21, FWCMS published a list of 25 agencies for recruiting workers from Bangladesh to Malaysia.