The Malaysian government is preparing to roll out a new digital platform that will enable employers to recruit foreign workers directly, effectively cutting out private recruitment agents that have traditionally dominated the process.
According to a report by the Economic Times, the initiative was announced by Malaysia’s Human Resources Minister, Datuk Ramakrishnan, and is designed to lower recruitment expenses, curb worker exploitation and enhance transparency within the country’s foreign labour system.
The development was first reported by The Malaysian Reserve.
Ramakrishnan explained that the heavy reliance on intermediaries has left many foreign workers vulnerable to abuses, including inflated recruitment charges, debt bondage and practices linked to 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.
The minister noted that many foreign workers are required to pay substantial recruitment fees even before departing their home countries. To meet these demands, workers often take loans, arriving in Malaysia already burdened by debt. In some instances, they also find themselves assigned to jobs that are vastly different from what they were initially promised.
He added that complaints about recruitment malpractice have frequently been raised in Parliament and by civil society organisations, pushing the government to pursue a fundamental shift away from the agent-led recruitment system.
Under the proposed framework, Malaysian employers will be able to engage directly with potential foreign workers through a centralised digital platform.
Key details such as job roles, wages, and employment terms will be clearly stated and agreed upon before contracts are finalised, helping to minimise misrepresentation.
The platform is expected to simplify the recruitment process, reduce overall costs and strengthen oversight of foreign worker hiring in Malaysia.
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