Private recruiting agencies demand equal access to Brunei labour market
They say state-owned BOESL has been underperforming and failed to meet recruitment demands
Private recruiting agencies have demanded that they be allowed to send workers to Brunei on an equal footing with the state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), which currently holds exclusive rights under a 2022 agreement.
The demand was raised at a press conference organised by the Brunei Recruitment Agencies Association at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity today.
The Brunei agencies association leaders claimed that private agencies were unfairly sidelined despite building up the labour market in Brunei over the years.
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They alleged that BOESL's monopoly is not only inefficient but also rife with corruption, causing delays and raising the cost for workers.
In a written statement, Ikram Chowdhury, president of the association, said, "Members of Baira [Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies] had worked hard to expand the Brunei market. Unfortunately, a decision was later taken – allegedly through collusion between the Bangladesh Embassy in Brunei and officials of the relevant ministry – to hand over the entire process to BOESL. This has caused us huge losses."
He also claimed that BOESL officials take Tk4-5 lakh from each worker through unofficial channels, despite the official government-fixed rate being Tk44,000 to Tk56,000.
Brunei Recruitment Agencies Association Organising Secretary Nurul Alam echoed the allegations, stating, "BOESL claims they charge only Tk50,000, but the reality is different. Their officials collect far more through under-the-table transactions. We used to send workers for only Tk3 lakh."
BOESL denies allegations
Asked about the allegation, Md Shawkat Ali, executive director (joint secretary) of BOESL, told TBS, "Many allegations can be made without proof. If they had visited us, they would have seen how we operate. We take all payments through bank accounts and do not involve middlemen or agents."
He added that Brunei authorities select workers directly, either in person or through online interviews, and that Bangladesh has no role in the selection process.
Regarding BOESL's service charges, he said they vary by skill category: Tk56,350 for professionals, slightly over Tk44,400 for semi-skilled workers, and Tk35,000 for less-skilled workers.
BOESL also pointed out that it became the sole authorised channel for recruitment after irregularities were reported involving private agencies, prompting the Brunei government to shift to a government-to-government arrangement in 2024.
Brunei Recruitment Agencies Association leaders, however, claimed BOESL failed to meet recruitment demands and has only sent a few hundred workers in the last year and a half, compared to the 10,000–12,000 workers private agencies sent in the previous 18 months.
Data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) shows private agencies sent over 1,800 workers to Brunei in 2022 and more than 1,000 in 2023. Since March last year, BOESL has sent around 700 workers.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, an average of 5,000 Bangladeshis were employed in Brunei each year. From January 2020 to January 2024, only 3,473 workers were sent.
Brunei is currently recruiting both skilled and unskilled Bangladeshi workers in sectors including construction, hospitality, and food services.
