Johari urges Malaysia to curb foreign labour reliance
The minister said Malaysia had 2.6 million foreign workers and recruitment should focus mainly on dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs.
Malaysia should rely less on foreign labour and largely confine recruitment to jobs classified as dirty, dangerous and difficult, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani told the Dewan Rakyat.
Johari put the foreign worker population at 2.6 million. He said the 13th Malaysia Plan envisaged a reduction, but numbers had not fallen because businesses operating in the country for 10 to 20 years were still requesting foreign workers.
He was answering Tan Hong Pin (PH-Bakri), who said many manufacturers still required unskilled labour, largely supplied by foreigners, despite having automated their operations to some extent.
Tan said manufacturers seeking additional foreign workers were often advised to move to Indonesia or Vietnam for cheaper labour. He warned that such messages could push factories and entrepreneurs out of Malaysia, and asked whether the ministry would review industries’ automation levels and offer more flexible hiring rules where further automation was not possible.
On Sept 8, Johari said industries seeking permission to hire foreign workers should justify their need for staff in 3D roles. For positions outside that category, applicants should provide details of pay and the qualifications required at entry level.
