2026 Malaysia Community Engagement Event

Facilitating conversation between migrant workers and corporate sustainability leads is one of the top highlights of our work.

On behalf of AIM-Progress and in collaboration with North South Initiative, we hosted the Malaysia Community Engagement event that convened corporate sustainability leads and migrant workers  in Kuala Lumpur in 27 April 2026. 

The goal? To practice meaningful dialogue with workers, modelling how, what, where it can be done in any context. Business leaders that joined were proactively engaged with the workers present to gain a better understanding of the multifaceted realities and lived experiences of workers behind supply chains with the help of translators. We invited men and women workers living in Malaysia from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Some key learnings from what workers shared:

1. Workers are being penalised for reporting payment of fees, with one case of workers who were fired after their repayment. 
2. Workers face ageism and described an unwritten rule that recruitment and accessing foreign work over the age of 35 is almost impossible in some sectors. 
3. Workers are highly stressed dealing with pressures on multiple fronts, from health and financial issues back home, to working long hours and living in very basic conditions.
4. Despite their chaotic lives they show up with warmth and openness to bids of genuine connection.

This was our fourth Community Engagement Event, and once again, sustainability leads described what an impactful session it was. Whilst workers returned to their lives (they are supported by phenomenal work of NSI) they described feeling heard and were interested in what business leaders had to say. Some workers did not want to be photographed and stayed out of the group photo. We appreciate everyone that participated and a special thank you to NSI and AIM-Progress sponsors.