Modern slavery in Malaysian medical gloves factories

This report and research summary ‘Responsible recruitment in the Malaysian medical gloves industry: Impacts, challenges and recommendations’ is based on a research project led by Brighton and Sussex Medical School in partnership with Newcastle University, Unseen, and Impactt Limited. The authors are Mei Trueba and James A. Brown (Brighton and Sussex Medical School and University of Sussex), Alex Hughes (Newcastle University), Hilary Agg (Unseen), and Louis Prosser and Ben Bostock (Impactt Limited).

This project was funded by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC), at the University of Oxford, which in turn is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The PEC has actively supported the production of the research summary; however, the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of the funders. 

Background

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Malaysian medical glove industry came under intense scrutiny as rising global demand drew attention to labour rights concerns and evidence of forced labour within supply chains. In response, manufacturers introduced a range of reforms, including repaying recruitment fees to workers and adopting more responsible recruitment practices.

This research builds on earlier PEC-funded work that documented high recruitment fees and resulting debt bondage within gloves factories in Malaysia. It focuses on the Employer Pays Principle (EPP), an approach where employers, not workers, cover the costs of recruitment. By removing recruitment fees, the EPP aims to reduce debt bondage and lower the risk of exploitation. The study explores whether these reforms are making a difference for workers, the challenges businesses face in implementing them, and what more is needed to support ethical recruitment across global supply chains.

Key findings

1. Ethical recruitment works. Recruitment fees and debt bondage fell dramatically following the introduction of the Employer Pays Principle. 
2. Workers experienced safer and fairer recruitment processes. Reports of passport retention, salary deception, and recruitment-related intimidation decreased significantly. 
3. Many workers saw improvements in their working and living conditions. However, concerns remain around workplace intimidation and access to effective grievance mechanisms. 
4. Benefits were not shared equally across all workers or sectors. Some groups continued to face higher risks of exploitation than others. 
5. Further action is needed to sustain progress. Ongoing economic pressures and inconsistent implementation of ethical recruitment practices pose significant challenges and continue to hinder long-term change.

Key recommendations 

• Strengthen regulation and accountability across supply chains by introducing and enforcing measures that prevent worker-paid recruitment fees, debt bondage, and other forms of labour exploitation. 
• Embed ethical recruitment standards into public procurement and business practices, ensuring that workers are not charged fees for securing employment and that these standards apply throughout supply chains. 
• Improve oversight and enforcement of recruitment systems in both destination and origin countries, including stronger regulation of recruitment agencies and intermediaries. 
• Increase transparency and access to information for migrant workers, including clear guidance on worker rights, migration risks, and accessible mechanisms for reporting exploitation. 
• Expand access to remedy and support for affected workers, including reimbursement of recruitment fees, safe reporting channels, and support for workers who experience exploitation. 
• Promote collaboration between governments, businesses, manufacturers, and recruitment agencies to ensure the costs of ethical recruitment are borne by employers rather than workers.