FOREIGN LABOUR SHORTAGE NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED SOON - MPN

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- The shortage of foreign workers should be resolved soon due to the arrival of foreign labour into Malaysia being too few compared with the amount of levies already paid at RM713,890 for the 467,223 approved quotas, said the National Recovery Council (MPN).

MPN chief executive officer Tan Sri Sulaiman Mahbob said the quota approval and levy payment statistics as of Sept 12, 2022, recorded 467,223 approved quotas. However, only 76,000 labour entries from 12 countries were recorded for the same period.

“That figure is too little compared to the levies already paid. Therefore, we want the Home Ministry and the Human Resources Ministry to review the process of hiring foreign workers because many sectors have a very high level of dependency.

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“We found that many workers applied and made payments, but there are fewer people arriving. The question is, why haven't they come? Does it involve their country's problems or some other reasons? This point needs to be emphasised, otherwise, the agriculture sector, especially palm oil, will continue to suffer problems from workers shortage,” he told reporters in a recent media briefing.

He explained that labour-intensive industries such as the manufacturing, tourism, construction and retail sectors, including the electronics and agriculture sectors are also seen to be affected by the labour shortage issue.

In addition to the workforce issue, Sulaiman said investment and trade as well as micro, small and medium enterprises (PMKS) also need to be prioritised in the country's recovery process.

He said Malaysia needs to encourage more investment because it offers people job opportunities, while trade ensures that the country's economic recovery continues as our economy depends on global trade.

“In the context of the affected supply chain, many export activities have been disrupted (due to the COVID-19 pandemic). However, in this recovery process, we see that Port Klang's performance has improved.

“They are ready and able to attract cargo to our ports. The port sector really helps us increase exports," he said.

In terms of the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and PMKS, Sulaiman said that these groups need special attention from the government because they are the backbone of the country’s domestic investment.

“SMEs and PMKS are the worst affected by the pandemic compared with multinational companies that can move to other countries with lower labour costs.

“For that reason, we have to focus on SMEs and PMKS, as we want them to develop into mid-level companies and to support multinational companies and later global industry players,” he said.

He said the cooperation of the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is the best combination to drive the country's economy.

“MPC can work with PMKS to increase productivity while MIDA encourages investment and MATRADE helps expand markets overseas, this is the best combination to drive the national economy," he said.

Commenting on the proposal for a special moratorium on SMEs, Sulaiman hopes that the government that will be formed (after the 15th General Election) will take a deeper look at the issue as SMEs are a critical component in the country's economic growth.

Besides that, MPN also emphasises the issue of food safety in ensuring that the country’s population's food resources are at an optimal level.

“In 1970 we had the Buku Hijau (Green Book) plan, a programme to help and if possible for the long term, we have to reduce imports in terms of food, not only from the perspective of self-sufficiency but also food security,” said Sulaiman.

Therefore, Sulaiman urged the state governments to cultivate their agricultural land to produce food while avoiding dependence on imported materials.

Meanwhile, Sulaiman also disclosed that MPN has presented 95 proposals in total, with 86 proposals having been approved by the Cabinet while nine proposals are still awaiting a decision.

Of that number, 69 per cent are related to important issues such as health, economic and social, while 26 per cent are related to management and administration matters.

“Out of the 69 per cent, 16 recommendations or 23 per cent have been completed, 30 recommendations or 43 per cent are still being implemented and 14 recommendations or 20 per cent have yet to be implemented.

“Overall, almost 66 per cent have been implemented, things are moving; most of the proposals were accepted by the Cabinet,” he said.

-- BERNAMA