Foreign worker problem in Penang

WALK into any hawker centre in Penang these days and you will see foreign faces working – not only in service but also behind the wok. Not sure how true this is but I’ve heard many are hired as part-timers – doesn’t this make them illegal?

A fruit seller told me that these foreigners are nowadays stall owners’ preferred choice because to get a legal full-time foreign worker is more costly due to all the fees involved. Not forgetting food, lodging and medical obligations on the employer’s part.