Immediate Approval of Foreign Workers Reduces Business Difficulties - MEF

By: Michelle Liew

The immediate action in bringing 373,459 foreign workers into the country through Referral Visas based on employer applications from Jan to Dec 4 has eased the difficulties faced by many companies in their daily operations and business needs.

That number is part of a total of 403,869 applications received by the Immigration Department.

The president of the Malaysian Employers' Federation (MEF), Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the assurance given by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail that the remaining 30,410 employer applications for foreign workers would be processed and considered for approval within seven working days was very reassuring.

"It shows Saifuddin's seriousness in dealing with the issues faced by employers due to the lack of foreign manpower."

MEF greatly appreciates the Minister's willingness to share details of the data on the current number of foreign workers in the country because the data will help stakeholders make a proper assessment of the additional number of foreign workers required by their respective industries, he said.

As of November 2022, there are 1,391,624 foreign workers at the Temporary Work Visit Pass Service Center (PLKS).

Distribution by sector, including manufacturing (510,507), construction (308,886), plantations (160,728), services (208,425), agriculture (110,598), foreign domestic workers (92,338) and mining/quarrying (142).