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HR Minister urges employers in Malaysia to prioritise locals when hiring

HR Minister urges employers in Malaysia to prioritise locals when hiring

When offering up job opportunities, employers are to first prioritise local jobseekers, Human Resource Minister M Saravanan has stressed. This should especially be the case now, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on hand.

In a statement quoted by Bernama yesterday (8 July), Minister Saravanan said in realising this effort, the government will require employers to advertise all job vacancies on the JobsMalaysia Portal at least 30 days before they intend to hire foreign workers and expatriates. 

He added: "It is aimed at letting all departments or agencies under the ministry to have sufficient time to implement the job matching process and be able to prioritise local job seekers."

At the same time, private employment agencies are also advised to ensure employers act in accordance with the government's regulations.

Minister Saravanan also said employers would be required to comply with the Foreign Workers First Out element, in line with provisions under Section 60N of the Employment Act 1955, and the Code of Conduct for Industrial Harmony. With this, he added, if layoffs take place, foreign workers "must be terminated first to ensure the continuity of employment of local workers."

Lastly, he also stated that firms looking to reduce the size of their business by cutting down on local and foreign employment would be required to report it to the Department of Labour.


PM Muhyiddin: Developing the younger generation a 'top priority' for the government

In a separate Bernama report shared on the official website of the Prime Minister's Office, Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has said the development of the younger generation will be a top priority of the current government.

This would cover all aspects including the area of human capital, while the generation is viewed as one that could "ensure continuity in the country's development and thus should be involved in the policy development process."

In achieving this, he said, leadership skills have been identified among the key competencies that would need to be developed, through the implementation of youth development programmes. 

PM Muhyiddin noted: " Every youth should possess good leadership qualities. At the very least, youths should be able to lead themselves.

“Youths who are capable of leading themselves would not only stay clear of unhealthy activities but also become patriotic citizens who can contribute to society with a keen sense of the social and volunteer service culture."

Apart from leadership qualities, PM Muhyiddin also highlighted the need for youth development programmes to also emphasise of soft skills, which include management ability, communication, interpersonal skills, and problem-solving ability.

One instance he shared about was that ministers involved to train fellows under the Perdana Fellows programme should train their fellows "like their own children", to provide them with guidance and set good examples for them throughout the attachment period. 

Photo / 123RF

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