KUALA LUMPUR: Migrant activists and business groups are concerned about the constant changes in foreign worker policies.

North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira said placing foreign worker recruitment mainly under the purview of the Home Ministry would result in a lack of checks and balances and lead to conflict of interest. He called on the government to be transparent over the reason for the shift in purview from the Human Resources Ministry […]

KUALA LUMPUR: All procedures for the recruitment of foreign workers, including the One-Stop Centre (OSC), have come under the purview of the Home Ministry since Aug 1.

Sources said this marked a significant shift as the OSC, which handles critical processes such as quota applications and reductions, extension of conditional approval letters, employer changes, levy payment extensions and sector transfers, would no longer come under the Human Resources Ministry. This includes the interview process for foreign worker quota applications. Sources said the […]

Use independent experts for migrant system audit, says anti-graft group

Human resources minister Steven Sim says his ministry will launch an internal audit to investigate discrepancies in the system. PETALING JAYA: The human resources ministry should include independent members in an audit of its migrant workers management system, according to anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International-Malaysia. The group’s president, Muhammad Mohan, said the system’s security had been […]

Labour Dept to set up special unit handling migrant workers’ grievances, says Sim

KUALA LUMPUR: A special unit will be set up under the Labour Department to handle complaints and grouses from migrant workers, says Steven Sim. “Their (migrant workers) situation is unique as they may not dare come forward to complain. “A local worker who lodges a complaint against an employer with the department can still go […]

Study reveals 96% Bangladeshi workers going to M’sia face high recruitment debt, exploitation

A RECENT study conducted by four labour ethics and workers’ rights organisations — Verité, Sheva Consultants, BOMSA and WARBE-DF — has shed light on the challenges faced by migrant workers in Malaysia. The study titled “Fostering Fee Accountability and Cost Tracking (FFACT)” presented findings that highlight the significant financial burden and exploitation experienced by migrant […]

Time for minimum wage above RM2,000

PETALING JAYA: The minimum wage for Malaysians should be set at RM2,102 as the current RM1,500 is too low for workers to sustain themselves and their families with, according to the latest report by United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Malaysia. The UN-backed study said its proposal for the new minimum wage was made in light […]

Multi-tier levy system soon to help reduce foreign worker dependence, says HR Minister

KUALA LUMPUR: Companies that have a higher dependency on foreign workers may have to pay more for them, says Steven Sim. The Human Resources Minister said the move was aimed at reducing the number of foreign workers in the country. He said that a formula is being drafted for a multi-tier levy system to be […]

Freeze on foreign workers hiring quota stays for now, says HR Minister

KUALA LUMPUR: The current freeze on foreign workers’ hiring quota will be maintained as the number of migrant workers has almost hit the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) target, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim. “The government has decided that the foreign worker quota cannot exceed 15% of the total workforce by 2025,” he said during […]

Migrant woes largely due to companies ‘over-ordering’ workers, say groups

PETALING JAYA: Industry groups have urged the government to penalise irresponsible employers who engage in excessive recruitment of foreign workers that have left many stranded in the country without jobs. Malaysian Association of Employment Agencies president Foo Yong Hooi said the actions of these companies were unethical and have contributed to the escalation of human […]

Human Resources Ministry approves 1,136,022 quotas for foreign workers

KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry has approved a quota for the recruitment of 1,136,022 foreign workers from 2022 until the quota freeze on March 18 last year. Of the total, 469,106 were for the manufacturing sector, followed by the construction sector (359,899); services (171,490); plantation (85,678); agriculture (49,473) and mining and quarrying (376). “Starting […]