Bangladeshi Workers Held Hostage by Cycle of Extortion and Illegal Fees Worth Hundreds of Thousands of Taka, Says Former Singapore Presidential Candidate

Agent fee of 7-10 lakh taka for job offer, 1.6 lakh taka for skill certificate; Questions about irregularities and loan traps in recruitment system

Special Report | 19 October 2026.

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Bangladeshi migrant workers are reportedly spending huge sums of money to get jobs in the construction and maritime sectors in Singapore. Many workers are burdened with debt before they even go abroad, having to pay millions of taka to agents to secure job offers, cover the costs of obtaining skill certificates, training, medical examinations and other documentation, Singaporean businessman Tan Kin Lian has claimed.

Tan Kin Lian is a Singaporean businessman and former insurance executive. He served as the CEO of NTUC Income, a cooperative insurance company associated with the country’s labor movement, for 30 years from 1977 to 2007. He ran for president of Singapore in 2011 and 2023.

In his Facebook post, he cited information from a Bangladeshi migrant worker, alleging abuse by middlemen, excessive fees, and financial irregularities in Singapore’s foreign worker recruitment system. According to him, the financial pressure on workers is increasing due to commissions and excessive fees charged by various parties involved in recruitment.

According to the information mentioned by Tan Kin Lian, the agent fee to get a job offer is around 7 lakh to 10 lakh taka. The alleged cost of collecting the skill certificate is around 1.6 lakh taka. Apart from this, there are allegations of paying another 5 lakh to 6 lakh taka for job arrangement and going to Singapore.

7-10 lakh taka just to get a job offer

According to Tan Kin Lian’s post, Singaporean companies are allegedly having to pay recruitment agents between US$6,000 and US$8,000 to get a job offer even though they go to Bangladesh to screen and interview candidates. This amounts to around 740,000 to 988,000 taka in Bangladeshi currency.

Apart from this, he claimed that the workers also have to bear the costs of medical examinations, specialized training, skill certificates, and collecting necessary documents.

Tan Kin Lian has raised questions about the cost of acquiring skills certificates for workers interested in working in the construction sector, in particular. He claims that construction workers in Bangladesh have to spend about 13,000 US dollars, or up to 1.6 million taka, on the process of verifying and obtaining the relevant skills in Singapore.

He also claimed that the amount charged by the training center issuing the certificate is much higher than the actual cost of training and materials. His post mentioned that the actual cost of a training center is around 1,000 US dollars or 123,000 taka.

If this description is true, a worker may have to spend around 2.1 to 2.2 million taka just for the certificate, job arrangement, and travel expenses. Apart from this, there are other personal expenses as well.

His post alleged that some project managers in Singapore also receive a share of the commission from recruitment agencies. However, he did not reveal any documents or name specific agencies to support this claim.

 

According to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower regulations, there are limits on the fees that recruitment agencies can charge. In general, fees cannot exceed one month’s fixed salary for each year of the work permit or contract term; the maximum limit is two months’ salary.

However, dealing with allegations of money being collected through foreign agents or middlemen inside Bangladesh is complicated. Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower stated in January 2025 that Singapore does not have direct legal jurisdiction over money taken by foreign agents in workers’ home countries.

Questions over the role of the Expatriate Welfare Ministry, workers held hostage by agents

There have been long-standing allegations of Bangladeshi workers being charged lakhs of taka in the name of employment abroad, excessive recruitment fees, unusual expenses in collecting skill certificates, and violence by middlemen. However, questions are being raised about the effective role of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment in alleviating the suffering of expatriate workers, controlling recruitment costs, and protecting them from becoming hostages to agents.

There are concerns about the extent to which the existing supervision and control system of the ministry, which is responsible for creating employment opportunities abroad, ensuring legal immigration, and protecting the rights and interests of expatriate workers, is able to protect workers from constant fraud.

Although there is a system for publishing a list of approved recruiting agencies, online registration, and training, satisfactory answers to these questions are essential: how much money a worker actually has to pay before going abroad, how legitimate that money is, and what measures are being taken against excessive payments.

Tan Kin Lian’s recent allegations about the recruitment costs of Bangladeshi workers in Singapore have brought these weaknesses to the fore. If the allegations of extorting huge sums of money from workers to arrange job offers, skills certificates and overseas travel are true, it is not just the responsibility of unscrupulous agents; it is also necessary to examine the role of relevant authorities in ensuring oversight and accountability of the recruitment process.

Questions arise as to whether the prescribed and transparent expenditure list for overseas workers is being effectively implemented, whether the financial activities of training centers and recruitment agencies are being regularly audited, and whether complaints of workers who have been cheated are being resolved quickly. If any allegations of irregularities are proven, there should also be a transparent account of what action has been taken against the concerned institution and individual.

Employment abroad is directly linked to the economy of Bangladesh and the livelihood of millions of families. However, if workers have to take loans to go abroad and leave the country with the fear of being cheated, the benefits of that employment become questionable. Therefore, the biggest expectation from the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment is to take visible and measurable steps to alleviate the suffering of expatriate workers, strictly suppress irregularities by recruitment agents, and establish effective accountability to protect the money and rights of overseas workers.

Working in Singapore is a path to economic prosperity for many Bangladeshi families. But if a worker has to spend more than 2 million taka before going abroad, it can be difficult to reap the benefits of the money earned by working abroad.

The allegations raised in Tan Kin Lian’s post therefore raise questions not only about the role of recruitment agents, but also about skills verification, training fees, employer liability, and the effectiveness of government oversight in the two countries.