Don’t burden us with cost of new recruitment system, says business group

 SME Association of Malaysia says employers should be charged only a nominal administrative fee during the initial stages if the system is implemented.

A large queue of foreign workers at Kuala Lumpur international airport in 2024 trying to beat a visa deadline.

PETALING JAYA:

The government should absorb the costs of developing a proposed new foreign worker recruitment system, with employers charged only a nominal administrative fee in the initial stages if it is implemented, says a business group.

Any future increase in platform charges should only be introduced gradually, and after discussions with industry, said Chin Chee Seong, president of the SME Association of Malaysia.

He said many small enterprises were already operating on thin profit margins. Any additional costs arising from the new system could place further strain on businesses, he said.

Chin said the human resources ministry should conduct and publish an assessment of the impact on small enterprises before finalising its implementation.

He also called for stronger cybersecurity and data protection measures to be put in place as the system would handle sensitive personal information, employment contracts and immigration-related documents.

Earlier this year, 10 MPs from PKR opposed the introduction of a universal recruitment platform called Turap. They said the system was unnecessary as there were government platforms already in existence and planned.

They said the government should instead make use of the new immigration system which is expected to be operational by 2028.

The human resources ministry said Turap remained a proposal and that no decisions had been made. - FMT