No special quotas for expatriats

Malaysian Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin yesterday said his country will no longer give special quotas for the recruitment of foreign workers, reports The Star.

Hamzah said every application from Malaysian employers must now go through his ministry's evaluation committee to determine the number of foreign workers eligible to be employed by the set terms and conditions.

"Whatever people may say, take note that any employer who needs to hire foreign workers must obtain the committee's approval according to the law," Hamzah said.

if an employer wants to get the additional workers they have applied for, they need to submit another application to the human resources ministry, he added.

He, however, said if the quota system was not applied and recruitment could be carried out freely, foreign workers would simply enter the country without adhering to the conditions and criteria set, resulting in various welfare problems.