नेपाली
Published: September 22, 2026
KATHMANDU
Prime Minister Balendra Shah and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have agreed to work towards addressing the role of syndicates and intermediaries in the recruitment of Nepali workers for employment in Malaysia.
The two leaders discussed the issue during a telephone conversation on Tuesday, with Shah stressing the need to make foreign employment between Nepal and Malaysia more transparent, dignified and free from exploitation, according to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
During the conversation, Shah said the existing system involving syndicates and middlemen was creating difficulties for workers and called for joint efforts to resolve the issue.
He also urged the Malaysian prime minister to facilitate direct communication between the labour ministers of the two countries so that the concerns surrounding recruitment practices could be addressed through government-to-government discussions.
Prime Minister Anwar responded positively to the proposal and said he would instruct Malaysia’s labour minister to coordinate with Nepal’s labour minister and work towards a concrete solution.
The discussion comes amid continuing concerns in Nepal over recruitment costs, employment procedures and the involvement of intermediaries in sending workers to Malaysia.
Around 400,000 Nepali workers are currently employed in Malaysia, making the country one of the major destinations for Nepali migrant workers. Malaysia has between 2.1 million and 2.4 million documented migrant workers, while the total number, including undocumented workers, is estimated to exceed three million, according to figures cited by the Kathmandu Post.
The two governments are now expected to coordinate through their respective labour ministries to explore measures for addressing the recruitment-related problems and protecting the interests of migrant workers.
Source/Reference: Kathmandu Post, Radio Nepal, Onlinekhabar
