SHAH ALAM, Jan 16 — The government is open to considering applications for foreign workers specifically for the oil palm plantation sector, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Although the government had imposed a freeze on foreign worker recruitment since last year, it had received requests from the Plantation and Commodities Ministry to hire foreign workers due to a shortage of labour in the sector.
“Since September last year, we have stopped accepting applications for foreign workers, and no new applications have been approved.
“(Plantation and Commodities Minister) Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani requested that we open the application process for plantation workers, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
“… where if the crops are not harvested, plantation operators face losses,” he said at the minister lecture series ‘Madani Sedang Direalisasi, Dekad Baharu Malaysia’ at Universiti Teknologi Mara today.
Saifuddin added that the Plantation and Commodities Ministry had been asked to provide accurate information regarding the labour shortages and specific needs of the sector before any decisions are made.
“That is why we have decided to temporarily suspend foreign worker recruitment. We will first ask plantation companies how many workers they require, and then the relevant authorities will verify and confirm the numbers before we meet to make a final decision,” he said.
Previously, the minister said that the freeze on foreign worker quota applications would remain until a later date to be announced, as the number of foreign workers in the country had approached the ceiling set by the government.
The total number of foreign workers is guided by the Economy Ministry’s target in the 12th Malaysia Plan, which aims for foreign workers to make up no more than 15 per cent of the country's overall workforce.
— Bernama
