Recruiting Agencies Express Concern over Malaysia’s New Manpower Standards

Malaysia’s new manpower standards aimed at regulating foreign labour agencies have raised concern in Nepal, a major labour-supplying country.

The Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the new manpower standards introduced by the Malaysian government, describing them as impractical.

According to the state-run news agency RSS, NAFEA President Bhuwan Singh Gurung said the association has communicated its reservations to the government after it sought formal feedback on the matter.

“We have informed the government that the new standards are not practical in their current form. Since we have been asked for our official opinion, we are preparing to hold a meeting soon to collect members’ views,” RSS quoted Gurung as saying.

According to RSS, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently sent a letter to the Nepali Embassy in Kuala Lumpur outlining a 10-point standard for manpower agencies. The Ministry of Human Resources has requested details of the agencies by November 15, 2025. The new standards apply to agencies from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar, which are major labour-supplying countries to Malaysia.

As per the new criteria, a manpower agency must have held a valid operating licence for at least five years and have deployed a minimum of 3,000 workers in the past three years, RSS further reported. It must also have sent workers to at least three different countries in the past five years and possess valid authorization for training, assessment, recruitment, and deployment from the concerned authorities. Additionally, agencies are required to obtain a good conduct certificate from the relevant government body in their home country.

The standards further stipulate that agencies must not be involved in forced labour, human trafficking, or any violation of labour laws. They should operate from a permanent office space of at least 10,000 square feet with adequate infrastructure and must not be linked to fraud or other financial crimes. Agencies are also required to submit testimonials from international employers.

The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security in Nepal confirmed on October 30 that it had received official correspondence from Malaysia regarding the new labour management standards.

Malaysia remains one of the major labour destination countries for Nepali migrant workers, employing hundreds of thousands of Nepalis in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, and services.