Laos suspends worker recruitment and work permits for Bangladeshis

Staff Reporter

Laos has suspended issuing new work permits to Bangladeshi citizens, plans to import workers, and approval of labor projects.

The country’s Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare said that the moratorium, which took effect on September 1, will remain in place until the end of 2026.

In a directive issued on September 9, the Lao Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare said the decision was taken to crack down on illegal entry into the country, human trafficking, brokers providing labor without authorization, and employers who bring in foreign workers and then evade their responsibilities.

However, the directive did not mention any specific reason why this suspension was imposed separately for Bangladeshi citizens.

However, large and government-approved priority projects with a fixed contract term have been exempted from this moratorium.

Due to this new order, individuals, companies, employers or labor operators will not be able to allow any Bangladeshi national to enter or work in Laos on their own initiative. At the same time, the process of approving labor visa permits for Bangladeshi nationals will also be closed until the end of 2026.

The directive states that those involved will face various types of punishments if they violate the law or restrictions. These include fines, mandatory repatriation to their home countries, and cancellation of the business license of the concerned organization.

If a worker is imported or hired without authorization, the employer concerned will be fined 2.5 million Lao kip, equivalent to approximately US$110, for each worker and for each violation. Similarly, if workers are imported for the purpose of redistribution to another labor unit, the same amount of fine will be imposed per worker and per violation.

On the other hand, if an employer uses or accepts workers employed by another labor unit for work without authorization, they will be fined 2 million Lao kip, or about 89 US dollars, per worker.

In addition, if a worker leaves the designated workplace without permission and works elsewhere, the worker concerned will be fined one million Lao kip, or approximately $44, per person and per incident.

In addition, there is a provision for expelling the worker within 30 days. The employer or the violator concerned must bear all the expenses of sending him back to his home country.

If the same type of crime is committed again, a fine of three times the previous amount will be imposed. In addition, the directive states that the person or organization concerned may also face legal action.

However, the directive did not provide any statistics on how many Bangladeshi nationals are currently working in Laos. Similarly, no specific information was provided on which labor sectors would be most affected or affected by the suspension.

It is worth noting that the construction and manufacturing sectors have historically been considered the main sectors for labor migration from Bangladesh to Laos.