PETALING JAYA: There should be a review of the rule where a foreign worker’s employment is tied down to a particular employer, says the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).
Its president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said these workers should be offered work in the sectors needing them.
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“But the workers must voluntarily agree, or else it would be forced labour,” he added.
Syed Hussain said instead of bringing in new foreign workers, the ones currently in Malaysia and not required in their sectors should be allowed to be employed in those facing shortages.
“In the event that the worker refuses to work in the new sector, they should then be repatriated to their home countries,” he said.
He also said it is hard for employers to determine the exact number of foreign workers needed for their sectors in a highly volatile and uncertain economic environment at the domestic, regional and international levels.
He was responding to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s revelation on Oct 19 that there was an excess of 250,000 foreign workers in the country.
However, there was a shortage of foreign workers especially in the plantation and construction sectors.
In the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, however, Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said an additional 150,000 workers would be arriving in Malaysia soon.
Syed Hussain called for a holistic approach to handling and regulating the recruitment process of foreign workers.
He said there should be a transparent end-to-end system to apply for and approve the applications of foreign workers.
“Rules, legislation and procedures relating to foreign workers should not be made on an ad hoc basis, but in a clear, comprehensive and sustainable manner.”
He called for continuous dialogues with employers in tandem with information sharing and consultation.
“Pursue innovative approaches to recruitment by eliminating unnecessary intermediaries,” he added.
Syed Hussain reiterated the need to rebrand 3D (dangerous, dirty and difficult) jobs to make them more appealing to local workers.
Employers also need to invest in the digitalisation of various processes and operations alongside introducing mechanisation and automation to attract locals, he said.
“While MEF supports the government’s call to reduce over-dependence on foreign workers, the transition should be well-timed and monitored to eliminate disruption to business operations,” he said.
