Malaysia freezes foreign worker recruitment until year-end

Malaysia has announced a moratorium on hiring foreign workers to provide employment opportunities for locals.

The announcement was made by the Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan at a press conference on Monday.

Although Malaysia has been successful in dealing with the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Malaysian government has taken this decision as part of a move to revive the economy, which has been hit hard by the ongoing 'movement control order'. As a result, the final decision on hiring workers from several countries, including Bangladesh and Nepal, was postponed for the time being.

Aiming to develop the human resource sector, the minister said no more workers will be brought in from abroad this year. However, foreigners can come on a tourist visa, he added.

The minister said, "There are about two million foreign workers in our country. We want to create job opportunities for the natives on a priority basis."

"This year we will monitor it, the next decision will be made after seeing how effective it is," said Minister Saravanan.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan also advised the locals to do any kind of job they can get without any reluctance.

The decision could change at any time if the global epidemic of coronavirus eradicates, stated the minister.