The associations of manpower exporters from four South Asian countries have expressed concern over the recruitment mechanism for workers in Malaysia.

They made the remarks in a joint statement issued on Thursday.

The signatories to the joint statement are: Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) led by its President Dik Bahadur Khatri, former senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) Riaz-Ul Islam, Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation (MOEAF) Chairman Myo Thant, and Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA) Chairman Syed Rahmat Ali Shah.

In the statement, the representatives of the four major recruiting agency associations in South Asia said they had come together to express their serious concern over the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS) recruitment system in Malaysia, particularly the proposed or existing practice of restricting access to recruitment opportunities through a selected group.

“We fully support digitalisation, transparency, efficiency and responsible recruitment systems. However, no digital platform or recruitment system should become a means of creating syndication, monopoly or exclusive control over the recruitment of migrant workers,” the statement said.

Thousands of agencies in the worker-sending countries are properly licensed and legally operating recruitment agencies and deserve equal, transparent and non-discriminatory access to legitimate recruitment opportunities, it said.

A system that gives preferential or exclusive access to a limited number of agencies could undermine the principles of fair competition, transparency and ethical recruitment, while potentially increasing costs and limiting choices for both employers and migrant workers, the statement added.

The associations therefore respectfully called on the Malaysian government and all relevant stakeholders to review the FWCMS recruitment system and ensure that no recruitment monopoly or syndication is created; all eligible and licensed recruitment agencies are treated fairly and transparently; recruitment opportunities are distributed through an open and competitive system; the interests, rights and welfare of migrant workers remain the central priority; and concerns raised by recognised recruitment agency associations from worker-sending countries are meaningfully consulted and addressed.

The leaders said the statement was not a position against Malaysia or against digital recruitment.

“Rather, it is a collective call for transparency, accountability, equal opportunities and freedom from monopolistic recruitment processes,” they said.

Meanwhile, some Bangladeshi recruiting agents have repeatedly warned of the possibility of another “syndicate” in Malaysia’s recruitment process after only 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies were included in the process.

They have long been demanding that the Malaysian labour market remain open to all eligible recruiting agencies.