<p>This study examines the exploitation of migrant workers in Malaysia’s construction industry, focusing on its types, underlying causes, and potential reform pathways. Despite the documented prevalence of migrant worker exploitation in this sector, qualitative evidence specific to the construction sector, drawing on both worker experiences and institutional perspectives, remains limited, and reform pathways have not been closely examined. A qualitative research design was adopted using semi-structured interviews with four strategically selected participants: two migrant construction workers, one Immigration Department officer, and one representative from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM). The data were analysed using thematic analysis supported by ATLAS.ti. Based on the accounts of the four participants, the findings indicate that the exploitation reported is multidimensional and includes wage theft, unsafe working conditions, excessive working hours, passport retention, debt bondage, discrimination, and poor living conditions, with debt bondage reported as an institutional observation rather than a direct worker-reported experience. These practices are driven by structural economic, institutional, and social factors within the labour system that restrict access to redress. Participants also identified several potential solutions, including fair wage enforcement, improved workplace safety, regulated working hours, transparent recruitment practices, expanded access to healthcare and legal services, community integration, and technological mechanisms for accountability. By integrating worker experiences with institutional perspectives, the study demonstrates how structural conditions enable labour exploitation in Malaysia’s construction industry and identifies practical reform pathways for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and civil society.</p>