Malaysia employs 2.47 million low-skilled foreign workers, aims to cap their share at 15pc of total workforce
Human Resources Minister, Steven Sim said Malaysia employs 2,470,781 low-skilled foreign workers, as of September 30 this year. He emphasised that the government is committed to ensure that foreign workers make up no more than 15 per cent of the nation’s total workforce. “The Human Resources Ministry’s stance is in line with government policies under the 12th Malaysia Plan 2021-2025, which mandated that the ceiling number of foreign workers should not exceed 15 per cent of the country’s total workforce,” he said. To adhere to this policy, Putrajaya has reaffirmed its decision to freeze approvals for new foreign workers, effective March 18 last year. It will also implement a multi-tier levy mechanism across all sectors, except farming and agriculture, beginning January 1, 2025.
Sim added that the ministry is also promoting Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes to cultivate a skilled Malaysian workforce and transition industries from labour-intensive operations to high-value sectors. Sim added that the government will review the minimum wage rate to attract more Malaysians to fill low-paying positions currently dominated by foreign workers. Currently, the Manufacturing sector has the highest number of foreign workers with 771,327 workers, followed by construction with 698,407 and services with 448,572.
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