Foreign worker intake shouldn’t surpass 15% of the total workforce, explains Saifuddin

PUTRAJAYA: Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stated that by December 31 of this year, the estimated ceiling for foreign worker intake which the Ministry of Economy set at no more than 15% of the total workforce should be reached.

Of the 34 million Malaysians, 17.1 million are thought to be in the labour force at the moment, according to him.

After meeting with Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong in a joint committee today, he told reporters, “We anticipate reaching this ceiling by the end of this year. The 15% ceiling set by the Ministry of Economy means that the total number of foreign workers nationwide must not exceed this limit.”

According to him, this estimate takes into account the current number of foreign employees as well as those enrolled in the Workforce Recalibration Programme and for whom firms have obtained quota clearances.

He declared that there will be no lifting of the ban on hiring foreign labour.

According to Saifuddin Nasution, the conference today decided to permit foreign boat captains over 60 to be hired for the first time, beginning this year.

According to him, the decision was made with the knowledge that boat captains possess and the yearly contribution of RM16.5 billion from the fishing industry in mind.

Because the temporary work visit permit is renewed every six months, we are permitting boat captains 60 years of age and older to work for a maximum of 36 months.

He stated that boat captains stay out of the sea during the monsoon season.

According to him, 332 boat captains are currently eligible for work, and this is only for a period of three years.

In order to guarantee the viability of our fishing business, we will then carry out a study and ask the ministry to create a “exit policy” that incorporates modern technologies.

The Human Resources Ministry (Kesuma), according to Sim, supports the joint committee’s decision to keep the entry quota freeze on foreign workers in place.

Earlier, Sim stated that the country’s labour force was getting close to the 12th Malaysia Plan’s target, which is why the government chose to keep the ban on new immigrant entry quotas (RMK12).

He stated that as of March 15, there were 2,171,798 foreign employees in the nation, based on information from the Immigration Department. – Bernama