Remote Webinar Mar 2024
human resources online

Several proposals made on foreign worker policies in Malaysia

In a Facebook post this week, Malaysia's Human Resources Minister YB M Kulasegaran talked about a proposal by ADUN Johor YB Chew Chong Sin, on several foreign workers policies.

Although it's all still in the proposal stage, the post presents some key takeaways as food-for-thought for HR leaders not just in Johor, but across Malaysia as well.

The proposed foreign worker policies are summarised below as follows:

  1. Waiving the conditions on which certificates of fitness can be attained for foreign worker accommodations, in order to support the growth of Malaysia's agriculture sector.
  2. Forming a transparent, effective, and non-monopoly mechanism to legalise foreign workers who are currently employed, especially in the agriculture sector. He said this noting the government's policy to gradually reduce dependence on foreign workers, highlighting that the income from levies and work permits will bring "billions" of revenue to the government.
  3. When implementing the multi-tier levy system, YB Chew proposed providing exemptions to the plantation industry, as this industry currently requires a large number of workers. Additionally, he also proposed setting a "reasonable" cap on the fourth tier of the system.

In line with these proposals, Minister Kulasegaran stated that the above matters are already under consideration by the Ministry of Human Resources, agreeing with YB Chew that indeed, the agriculture sector will need special attention.

For this, he has announced that he will be in touch with the Agricultural Ministry to work on a better solution for the certificates of fitness.

Lastly, Minister Kulasegaran also called on the public to "easily approach" him and his team through the weekly Hari Pelanggan. For those who are not aware, the weekly Hari Pelanggan is a session which allows officers from various departments to meet with the public on a walk-in basis, to address any HR issues they may have.

Photo / Minister Kulasegaran's Facebook

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!

Related topics

Free newsletter

Get the daily lowdown on Asia's top Human Resources stories.

We break down the big and messy topics of the day so you're updated on the most important developments in Asia's Human Resources development – for free.

subscribe now open in new window