Malaysian government officials strengthen skills to negotiate bilateral labour migration agreements

Kuala Lumpur (ILO News) - With 2.13 million migrant workers underpinning key sectors of its economy, including women migrant workers in the care sector, Malaysia is investing in the officials who negotiate the agreements that shape how migrant workers are recruited, employed and protected. To support this effort, the International Labour Organization (ILO), in partnership with Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR) and with the support of the European Union (EU) through the PROTECT project, delivered a two-day training this week for Malaysian government officials on the negotiation of Bilateral Labour Migration Agreements (BLMAs).

The training, held on 28-29 July 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, brought together representatives from MOHR's International and Policy Divisions, the Legal Adviser's Office, the Labour Departments of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak (JTKSM, JTK Sabah, JTK Sarawak), the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO), the Ministry of Home Affairs' Immigration Department and Immigration Affairs Division, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Consular and Bilateral Divisions, and the state governments of Sabah and Sarawak.

An estimated 23.6 million Southeast Asians live outside their countries of origin, including some 7.1 million who migrate within the ASEAN region itself. As most of this labour mobility is temporary, bilateral labour migration agreements have become a key tool for managing migration in an orderly and mutually beneficial way.

To be effective, bilateral labour agreements need to align with international human rights and labour standards and be gender-responsive. They are recognized under Objective 5 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration as a means of supporting well-governed labour mobility. The UN Network on Migration's Guidance on Bilateral Labour Migration Agreements, developed in 2022 to help governments design rights-based and gender-responsive BLMAs through a cooperative, multi-stakeholder approach, served as a key reference for the training.

The training was requested by MOHR to strengthen the capacity of Malaysian officials to negotiate, implement, monitor and evaluate BLMAs, drawing on international labour standards, global guidance, and good practices from ASEAN and beyond.

"Negotiating a bilateral labour migration agreement is a technical skill that should be grounded in international labour standards. The officials in this room are the ones who will shape future agreements Malaysia signs, and can help ensure that the agreements protects workers rights as well as promote an orderly process," said Nilim Baruah, Regional Labour Migration Specialist, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

"The European Union and Malaysia enjoy a close strategic partnership built on shared interests and shared values, including respect for human rights, labour standards, gender equality and multilateral cooperation. Malaysia's participation in this training reflects its commitment to strengthening migration governance and developing the capacity needed to negotiate effective labour migration agreements. This workshop is therefore both timely and important, helping to strengthen protection for migrant workers while supporting regular and well-managed labour mobility," said Pekka Penttila, First Secretary, Trade and Economic Relations Section, Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia.

The training was delivered under the PROTECT project (Ensuring Decent Work and Reducing Vulnerabilities for Women and Children in the Context of Labour Migration in Southeast Asia), an EU-funded initiative led by the ILO that supports reforms to labour migration governance, strengthens recruitment regulation, and promotes gender-responsive, rights-based approaches to labour migration across Southeast Asia.