Migrant worker intake freeze continues, says minister

 

The freeze on foreign workers has been in place since last March.

PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet has decided to maintain the current freeze on quota applications and approvals to hire migrant workers, says home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

At a press conference here, Saifuddin said it was unnecessary to lift the freeze as the total quota that has already been approved “is enough”.

“The Cabinet has also agreed to set up a one-stop centre (to expedite the process of approving migrant worker applications).

“The lead agency will be under the home ministry,” the minister said.

The freeze on foreign workers has been in place since last March.

Saifuddin held a meeting with human resources minister Steven Sim on Jan 16 to discuss the status of the freeze, during which they said they would give their proposals on the matter to the Cabinet.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin also said the Cabinet has agreed to review the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) Malaysia has with countries providing foreign workers.

“The Cabinet today agreed to a review process with the 15 countries,” he said.

“We will prioritise three countries first – namely Nepal, Bangladesh, and Indonesia – as they provide 77% of the foreign workers in Malaysia,” he said.

He said the review will touch on fees, costs, contract agreements and healthcare, among others.

Malaysia currently takes in foreign workers from Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, India, and Indonesia.

Saifuddin previously said his ministry would engage with the 15 countries once he received the nod from the Cabinet.

In January 2023, Putrajaya loosened the conditions for the hiring of migrant workers in the manufacturing, construction, plantation, agriculture, as well as food and beverage sectors.

Then human resources minister V Sivakumar said applications through the ministry’s foreign worker centralised management system would be processed and approved within three working days.

Employers were allowed to take in foreign workers from 15 source countries based on their capabilities and needs, without having to fulfil employment pre-conditions.

However, just two months later, Sivakumar announced that all applications and processing for migrant workers were suspended until further notice. - FMT