Print: 29 Oct 2025
A group of private recruiting agency owners has called for reforms to the current manpower export system to Brunei, which currently allows only the state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) to send workers to the Southeast Asian nation.
The demand was raised at a press conference organised by the Brunei Recruitment Agencies Association at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Tuesday.
In a written statement read out at the event, the association’s president Ikram Chowdhury claimed that private recruiting agencies are being unfairly excluded from the Brunei labour market due to a one-sided G2G (government-to-government) agreement signed by the previous government.
“The G2G deal is authoritarian in nature and prevents private agencies from participating in the process,” said Ikram.
He alleged that although BOESL officially charges Tk40,000 per worker, it secretly collects between Tk400,000 and Tk500,000 through unofficial means.
He also claimed that only around 900 workers were sent to Brunei in the past year and many of them faced problems after arriving. However, Ikram acknowledged that he could not present any documentary evidence or the identities of affected workers to support his claims.
In response, BOESL strongly denied the allegations.When contacted, Md Shawkat Ali, Executive Director (Joint Secretary) of BOESL, said, “Anyone can make allegations without evidence. If they had visited our office, they would have seen how transparently we operate. All payments are made through bank accounts, and we do not engage any middlemen or agents.”
He clarified that BOESL’s official service charges are Tk56,350 for skilled workers, Tk44,400 for semi-skilled, and Tk35,000 for unskilled categories, all collected with proper receipts and vouchers.
BOESL further stated that the entire recruitment and selection process is handled directly by Brunei-based employers, who either conduct interviews online or in person and choose candidates on their own.
It was also noted that prior to BOESL's involvement, private agencies reportedly charged between Tk300,000 and Tk500,000, often in violation of government rules and without transparency. These issues prompted the Brunei government to initiate a direct government-to-government arrangement with Bangladesh to prevent such irregularities.
For all latest news, follow the Daily Sun's Google News channel.
More From Metropolis
More From Metropolis
Private recruiting agencies demand access to Brunei job market
A group of private recruiting agency owners has called for reforms to the current manpower export system to Brunei, which currently allows only the state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) to send workers to the Southeast Asian nation.
The demand was raised at a press conference organised by the Brunei Recruitment Agencies Association at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Tuesday.
In a written statement read out at the event, the association’s president Ikram Chowdhury claimed that private recruiting agencies are being unfairly excluded from the Brunei labour market due to a one-sided G2G (government-to-government) agreement signed by the previous government.
“The G2G deal is authoritarian in nature and prevents private agencies from participating in the process,” said Ikram.
He alleged that although BOESL officially charges Tk40,000 per worker, it secretly collects between Tk400,000 and Tk500,000 through unofficial means.
He also claimed that only around 900 workers were sent to Brunei in the past year and many of them faced problems after arriving. However, Ikram acknowledged that he could not present any documentary evidence or the identities of affected workers to support his claims.
In response, BOESL strongly denied the allegations.When contacted, Md Shawkat Ali, Executive Director (Joint Secretary) of BOESL, said, “Anyone can make allegations without evidence. If they had visited our office, they would have seen how transparently we operate. All payments are made through bank accounts, and we do not engage any middlemen or agents.”
He clarified that BOESL’s official service charges are Tk56,350 for skilled workers, Tk44,400 for semi-skilled, and Tk35,000 for unskilled categories, all collected with proper receipts and vouchers.
BOESL further stated that the entire recruitment and selection process is handled directly by Brunei-based employers, who either conduct interviews online or in person and choose candidates on their own.
It was also noted that prior to BOESL's involvement, private agencies reportedly charged between Tk300,000 and Tk500,000, often in violation of government rules and without transparency. These issues prompted the Brunei government to initiate a direct government-to-government arrangement with Bangladesh to prevent such irregularities.