Bangladesh can offer manpower for Malaysia’s semiconductor industry

Bangladesh is positioning itself as a potential partner in Malaysia's fast-growing semiconductor industry, offering both skilled manpower and front-end design solutions, leaders of the Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BMCCI) said yesterday.

With the right policy support, they argued that Bangladesh could replicate the success of its garment sector and reach $5 billion in semiconductor service exports by 2030.

Speaking at a BMCCI press conference at Sheraton Dhaka, the chamber's President Shabbir A Khan said Malaysia is projected to become the world's sixth-largest semiconductor player with a market size of $19.41 billion in 2025, supported by its $121 billion electrical and electronics export sector.

However, he noted that Malaysia faces an acute talent shortage and needs 60,000 skilled professionals by 2030, with only 15,000 likely to be available locally.

To meet the requirement and stay in the global market, Malaysia has planned to outsource the talent and has engaged the BMCCI in the outsourcing plan, he said.

"That is why we signed a memorandum of understanding to prepare our local talents for the growing local industries and to facilitate the export of skilled manpower for the global semiconductor ecosystem," the BMCCI president said.

Also speaking at the event, Md Anwar Shahid, senior vice-president of BMCCI, said Malaysia's semiconductor sector remains heavily reliant on imported front-end solutions, including chip design, architecture, and prototyping sourced from countries like Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States.

"Bangladesh is quite advanced in providing solutions in architectural engineering and chip design. We can complement each other," he said.

Shahid also said with the right policy support, Bangladesh's RMG sector transformed into its crown jewel of exports.

"With similar policy support, Bangladesh could reach $5 billion in semiconductor service exports by 2030," Shahid added.

He also noted that with growing capabilities in semiconductor design and engineering, Bangladesh is well-positioned to support Malaysia's upstream needs.

"By offering front-end design services and skilled manpower, Bangladesh can help Malaysia reduce its reliance on external markets while gaining a foothold in the global semiconductor value chain," he added.