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The Malaysian government has announced plans to introduce a digital platform that will allow employers to hire foreign workers directly, bypassing private recruitment agents that have long dominated the process.
According to Economic Times, the initiative, unveiled by Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan, aims to reduce recruitment costs, curb worker exploitation, and improve transparency in the country’s foreign labour market.
Ramakrishnan noted that reliance on intermediaries has exposed foreign workers to excessive recruitment fees, debt bondage, and other forms of modern slavery.
“The issue has been raised repeatedly in Parliament and highlighted in the media. We want to eliminate the middleman problem,” he said, as quoted by The Malaysian Reserve.
He explained that many foreign workers are required to pay high recruitment fees before leaving their home countries, often taking out loans that leave them in debt from the moment they arrive in Malaysia. Some workers also end up in roles that differ significantly from those promised.
Concerns over recruitment abuses have been consistently raised in Parliament and by civil society groups, prompting the government to pursue a decisive shift away from the agent-driven model.
How the Platform Will Work
The proposed system will allow Malaysian employers to connect directly with prospective foreign workers through a centralized digital platform. Job descriptions, wages, and employment conditions will be clearly displayed and agreed upon before contracts are signed, reducing the risk of misrepresentation.
The platform is expected to streamline the hiring process, lower costs, and enhance oversight of foreign labour recruitment in Malaysia.
