Freeze on foreign labour to reassess workforce needs, says Nur Jazlan

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed says if there is no effort to employ local workers, the government will be forced to bring in foreign workers indefinitely. – Reuters pic, February 19, 2016.Recruitment of foreign workers will resume once Putrajaya evaluates the current pool of foreign labour in the country, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed says, following today's uncoordinated announcements over the intake of workers from Bangladesh and a freeze on migrant labour intake.

Nur Jazlan said the government would instead focus on the review, which started on February 15, to assess the true number of foreign workers required by local industries.

"We are now focusing on the programme to review the need for foreign workers. We will look at their total numbers and then only hire the new foreign workers," he told The Malaysian Insider.

The programme that began on February 15 is the Rehiring Programme for Illegal Workers by the Home Ministry that will run until December 31 to legalise undocumented foreign workers and fulfil employers' needs for labour.

Putrajaya's plan to recruit 1.5 million workers from Bangladesh over the next three years was announced in June last year, and the deal was inked in Dhaka yesterday.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot, who signed the agreement for Malaysia, today said the number only referred to Bangladeshis who registered for work with their government, adding that not all 1.5 million of them were meant to come to Malaysia.

But hours later, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced a freeze on recruitment of foreign labour from all countries, including Bangladesh.

Nur Jazlan (pic, right) said the memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh could be implemented any time in the next three years.

"Therefore, even if we don't implement it next year, it does not matter.

"In the meantime, we will study the sectors that genuinely need the services of foreign workers," he said.

The Pulai MP said there was no fixed timeframe for the recruitment freeze.

"We'll take the time we need to conduct the review," he said.

He echoed a previous statement by Zahid that the request to employ foreign workers was not made by Putrajaya, but by employers.

He said the government was merely facilitating the recruitment of foreign labour for employers.

"It's not the Malaysian government that is taking foreign workers, it's employers who want to hire them. The government only wants to make things easier for employers.

"If there is no effort to employ local workers, we will have to bring in foreign workers indefinitely." – February 19, 2016.