Relationship dossier
Malaysia
Nepal
Relationship assessment
Labour migration cooperation alongside recurring concerns about recruitment and worker protections
Malaysia toward Nepal
+30Malaysia has provided employment opportunities for Nepalese workers under a bilateral labour agreement signed in 2018, which established a framework for their recruitment and protections. Concerns about recruitment practices and worker welfare have complicated this cooperation.
Nepal toward Malaysia
+30Nepal negotiated the 2018 bilateral labour agreement with Malaysia to regulate the recruitment and protection of Nepalese workers. In 2018, Nepal suspended recruitment to Malaysia amid concerns about recruitment costs and malpractice.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship has a durable, practical basis in labour migration, supported by a bilateral agreement, but recruitment and worker-protection concerns have periodically disrupted cooperation. The available features point to a cooperative relationship with a recurring area of friction.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Malaysia and Nepal have developed practical cooperation around the employment of Nepalese workers in Malaysia. A bilateral labour agreement signed in 2018 set a framework for that employment and worker protections. Cooperation has coexisted with disputes over recruitment practices and worker welfare, including Nepal's suspension of recruitment to Malaysia in 2018.
Areas of tension
- Recruitment costs and practices affecting Nepalese workers seeking employment in Malaysia
- Worker welfare and implementation of labour protections
Key developments
Malaysia and Nepal signed a bilateral labour agreement establishing a framework for the recruitment and protection of Nepalese workers.
Nepal suspended recruitment to Malaysia amid concerns about recruitment costs and malpractice.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of labour protections under the bilateral agreement are unclear.
- The extent of cooperation beyond labour migration is uncertain.