Limit on Hiring Foreign Workers In Malaysia To Be Lifted, But Local Workers Should Be Prioritised

On 29 July, it was made official that foreign workers are limited to working in only three sectors which are construction, plantation and agricultural. This was a move made to secure job careers for Malaysians during this pandemic outbreak.

However, Malaysia has decided to lift the limit recently, according to Reuters.

As of the month of July, the Ministry of Human Resources said more than 67,000 local workers and over 4,700 foreign workers were reported to have lost their jobs.

“There were some employers who claim to still need a number of foreign workers and urged the government to withdraw the freeze on recruitment of new foreign workers,” said Human Resources Minister, Datuk Seri Saravanan Murugan in the statement.

Despite the lift, Saravanan stressed that employers should first prioritise local workforces before considering giving them to foreigners that are still in Malaysia. Of course, not to forget that for foreign workers to be reemployed, they must have a valid work permit. Moreover, this group of employees are only allowed to work in the same sectors as they were in previously.

The Malaysian government estimates that the country currently hosts approximately a total of 2.1 million legal foreign workers.

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Also read: Foreign Workers Will Now Be Limited To Work Only Under These Three Sectors