It’s no doubt that most business owners tend to hire foreign workers as their labour is considered cheap.
In a move that can deter further exploitation from occurring, The Human Resources Ministry in partnership with the Prisons Department is hoping to redirect employers focus by giving local ex-convicts a chance to be hired instead.
According to V. Sivakumar, minister of human resources, there are now 77,000 inmates who can be converted into productive workers and recruited after their release, lessening the nation’s reliance on foreign labour.
“We rely too heavily on foreign labour. If we do not utilise the manpower the nation has to offer, it is a loss”, he said.
At a press conference held at Wisma Perkeso yesterday, the Social Security Organization (SOCSO), the Prisons Department with the HR ministry signed a note of collaboration to ensure ex-inmates get employed and continue to be productive members of society.
The HR ministry hopes for 15,000 former inmates and soon to be released young offenders at Henry Gurney School to be employed this year.
1. The HR Ministry aims for jobs to be given this year to 15,000 ex-prisoners and Henry Gurney school inmates due for release soon.
"We are too dependent on foreign workers. It's a loss if we do not take advantage of manpower available in the country," said Minister V.Sivakumar. pic.twitter.com/VFRTjWEiar
— BFM News (@NewsBFM) April 6, 2023
In light of this, V. Sivakumar has urged other companies to step up and give ex-prisoners a second chance to begin anew after serving their sentences.
He went on to add that through programmes like the Free Inmates Licence Placement Programme and Re-Entry@MyFutureJobs Programme, a total of 588 ex-prisoners and students of Henry Gurney School have successfully obtained job offers between 2021 and last month.
It seems that the Malaysian government is taking a stance on ensuring ex-convicts have a sustainable life after prison and hopefully this decreases the rate of them being re-arrested.
What are your thoughts on the situation? Would you commend a business for employing ex-convicts?
Let us know in the comments!
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