Malaysia plans launching online digital platform to directly recruit foreign workers

MALAYSIA'S government is preparing to roll out a new digital platform that will enable employers to recruit foreign workers including Nigerians directly cutting out the need agencies that have traditionally dominated the process.

Ranked as the 35th most trade intensive economy globally, Malaysia is an upper-middle income, newly industrialised, developing economy, which is increasingly becoming reliant on migrant labour. It has a workforce of 17.51m, with the labour productivity of Malaysian workers being the 62nd highest in the world and significantly higher than that of other Asian countries like China, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

In a move designed to streamline the search for skilled workers , Malaysia is planning to launch this recruitment portal that will effectively cut out private recruitment agents that have historically exploited workers. According to the Economic Times, the initiative announced by Malaysia’s human resources minister, Datuk Ramakrishnan, is designed to lower recruitment expenses, curb worker exploitation and enhance transparency within the country’s foreign labour system.

According to the minister, 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. Malaysia's economy is believed to have grown by a whopping 5.7% during the fourth quarter of 2025, up from 5.2% in the third quarter.

Mr Ramakrishnan said: “The issue has been raised repeatedly in Parliament and highlighted in the media. We want to eliminate the middleman problem."

Explaining the multi-faceted nature of the problem, 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. Mr Ramakrishnan added that complaints about recruitment malpractices 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.

This digital platform is expected to simplify the recruitment process, reduce overall costs and strengthen oversight of foreign worker hiring in Malaysia. It is not yet clear when it will go live but it is expected to be this year.