KUALA LUMPUR: Restructuring the policy on foreign workers by relaxing quotas and loosening the application process shows the government's commitment to support the business community and industries.
Lauding Tuesday's (Jan 10) announcement by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KLSICCI) president Nivas Ragavan said the announcement was timely as the business community and industries had suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"This new policy will accelerate the (hiring) process for foreign workers in the five main sectors of manufacturing, plantation, agriculture, construction, and services," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Jan 11).
He noted that the business and industrial communities were eager for the implementation of the new policy, which was expected to see foreign workers undergo health screenings and arrive here within 30 days after their visa approval.
He said KLSICCI was also confident that foreign worker issues affecting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) would be resolved following the memorandum of understanding signed with India's National Skills Development Corporation International (NSDCI) earlier this week.
"NSDCI, incorporated by India's Ministry of Finance, engages in international collaboration to encourage international mobility of its workforce.
"(It handles) skilled, semi-skilled and certified worker movements from India to other countries,' he said.
According to Nivas, the MoU paved the way for a framework under which both parties arrange for placement in Malaysia for those categories of workers.
"The workforce from India is expected to reduce the acute shortage of foreign workers in Malaysia across all industries.
"We urge all SMEs and employers to prepare the necessary documentation to comply with the restructured policy once it is implemented from Jan 15," he said.
