Ministry approves 380,000 foreign workers under relaxation of hiring plan, says Saifuddin

• Under the first phase of the plan, industry players needed to hire up to 518,000 foreign workers.

PADANG BESAR (Feb 27): The Home Ministry has approved the applications of 380,000 foreign workers under a plan to facilitate the hiring of workers to meet the country’s economic needs in the post-pandemic period.

Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the ministry implemented the plan based on Bank Negara Malaysia’s recommendation to ease the conditions for hiring foreign workers.

“So far, the ministry has approved 380,000 applications from foreign workers who overstayed and who did not have valid documents, so they could immediately seek employment.

“This relaxation is given in several critical sectors like plantation, agriculture, manufacturing and services,” he told reporters after visiting the Padang Besar ICQS Complex on Saturday (Feb 25).

Also present were Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, Perlis state secretary Datuk Seri Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad and Perlis Immigration director Khairul Amin Taib.

Under the first phase of the plan, industry players needed to hire up to 518,000 foreign workers, he said.

Saifuddin Nasution said this was important for the country’s economy, which is expected to grow at 4.5% as stated in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s revised Budget 2023 speech on Friday (Feb 24).

On another matter, he said the Home Ministry was in the final stage of acquiring body cameras for use by its agencies, including the Royal Malaysian Police. 

He said the ministry is in the process of finalising contrators who qualify to handle the procurement of these body cameras, involving a RM30 million allocation approved by the finance ministry last year.