The Malaysian government plans to introduce a new digital platform that would allow employers to hire foreign workers directly, bypassing private recruitment agents that have long dominated the system.
The initiative, disclosed by Malaysia’s Human Resources Minister, Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan, is aimed at cutting recruitment costs, curbing worker exploitation, and improving transparency in the country’s foreign labour market.
The Malaysian Reserve first reported the development.
Malaysia relies heavily on foreign labour across key sectors such as construction, manufacturing, plantations, and services. However, the recruitment process has for years been mediated by agents and middlemen, a model that authorities now admit has created systemic problems.
According to the minister, foreign workers are often forced to pay exorbitant recruitment fees even before leaving their home countries.
Many take out loans to cover these costs, leaving them trapped in debt from the moment they arrive in Malaysia. In some cases, workers reportedly end up in roles that differ significantly from what they were promised.
Ramanan noted that concerns over recruitment abuses have been repeatedly raised in Parliament and by civil society groups, prompting the government to seek a decisive shift away from the agent-driven system.
Under the proposed platform, Malaysian employers would be able to connect directly with prospective foreign workers through a centralised digital system. Job descriptions, wages, and employment conditions would be clearly displayed and agreed upon before any contracts are signed, reducing the risk of misrepresentation.
Malaysia’s move to introduce a direct hiring platform for foreign workers builds on earlier reforms aimed at simplifying and modernising its expatriate and migrant labour framework.
In August 2024, the Malaysian government streamlined the application process for the Professional Visit Pass (PVP), cutting required documentation from 13 to just six, in a bid to improve efficiency and reduce administrative bottlenecks for short-term foreign professionals.
The broader vision is a government-to-government hiring model with worker identities, salary payments, and employment records managed through Malaysia’s MyDigital ID system.
The proposal will be reviewed with the Home Ministry and other stakeholders before being submitted to the Cabinet. If approved and implemented later this year, the platform could mark a significant shift in Malaysia’s foreign labour policy, offering employers a clearer hiring process and workers lower costs, fewer surprises, and greater protection.
