With a total of 7,500, the Malaysian government is now permitting corporations in three sub-sectors which are barbers, textiles, and goldsmiths to hire foreign labour.
Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar made the announcement on Friday, September 8, 2023. He noted that hiring in these sub sectors had previously been put on hold since 2009. Next, he added that the reopening is “not comprehensive” and will be determined by the real demands of these subsectors.
He continued, “This action will also curtail employers’ propensity to hire foreign nationals without legitimate employment documents.” “We are aware of the great potential for exploitation and forced labour practices in this tendency.”
Minister Sivakumar shared that the Ministry of Human Resources, together with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, have worked on refining is needed for the purpose of implementing this process, seeing that the Government has currently stopped the application and approval of foreign worker quotas.
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Therefore, the mechanism developed would emphasise the following things:
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Applications are subject to quota details set according to the three sub-sectors;
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The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, as a regulatory agency, needs to coordinate the above quota details with the industry for the purpose of applying for foreign workers based on the mechanism that will be set:
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Foreign worker applications will follow existing procedures in terms of employer screening under Section 60K of the Employment Act 1955, and verification for quota approval, including through an interview process with the Regulatory Agency (i.e., the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living).