Malaysia to bring in foreign workers in sectors of no interest to local workers

This was shared by HR Minister, V. Sivakumar, when addressing concerns on the expected entry of 500,000 foreign workers into the nation this year.

With the recent temporary easing of rules on hiring foreign workers in Q1 2023, as well as the expected inflow of ~541,315 foreign workers to meet the country's demand, Malaysia's Human Resources Minister, V. Sivakumar fielded queries on the topic at Chinese New Year event he attended on 15 January 2023 in Perak. 

Clarifying that the inflow will not affect job opportunities for locals, the workers are likely to be placed in "sectors of no interest to local workers" such as plantation, agriculture, and construction, per remarks cited in Bernama.

Bernama cited the Minister as adding: "We find it difficult to get local workers to work in these sectors. Our dependence on foreign workers in these sectors is very high. If we cannot provide a sufficient supply of workers, it will disrupt the optimal operation of these sectors and result in huge losses."

The worker shortage, he explained, is worrying as over 700,000 foreign workers have been reported to have returned to their home countries during the pandemic. On a forward outlook, he mentioned the Government would take "measures to reduce the efforts of the global economic downturn."

Photo / Minister Sivakumar's Facebook