Malaysia approves recruitment of over 500,000 foreign labourers

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR) announced that it has approved a quota for recruiting 541,315 foreign workers as of September 1.

Taking into account 1.3 million foreign workers in Malaysia, and the quota that has been approved, MOHR highlighted that these numbers have almost met the country's demand for foreign workers.

MOHR’s data showed that the highest number ever of foreign workers working in the Southeast Asian country is 1.8 million.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many economic sectors of Malaysia have faced severe labour shortages, especially the palm oil and construction industries.

With the ease of quarantine regulations and the reopening of borders from April 1, Malaysia's economy has seen a positive recovery, but the demand for foreign workers is also on the rise.

To attract more foreign labourers, the Malaysian government has eased entry and recruitment regulations, and increased wages for workers to 1,500 ringgit (323 USD) per month./. 

VNA