Malaysia gets over one lakh applications for migrant workers since Feb 15

The Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources has received 111,807 applications from foreigners applying to work in the country since the day the facility was inaugurated on February 15 until yesterday, reports Free Malaysia Today (FMT).

Human Resources Minister M Saravanan said, of the total, 77,848 applications were for workers in the manufacturing sector, followed by the plantation (13,119), service (10,611), construction (8,530), and agriculture (1,699) fields.

"I do not deny that at the early stage, when the applications were opened, some employers had problems applying online.

"This was due to the high number of applications since the entry of foreign workers had been stopped temporarily since March 2020 following the implementation of the first movement control order," the FMT quoted him as saying in a statement today.

Apart from that, Saravanan said, employers were allowed to apply through the Private Sector Employment Agency (APS), which earlier only allowed applications for domestic help.

"During a meeting with employers and the associations recently, I was informed about the problems and that they have used the services of APS for the purpose.

"Therefore, APS can apply on behalf of the employers with the condition that the applications are submitted with the knowledge and permission of the employers concerned," he added.

On December 10, media reported Saravanan as saying that Malaysia was facing a critical shortage of workers in the five 3D (dirty, dangerous, and difficult) fields, mainly in the plantation, manufacturing, development, agriculture and service sectors, because of poor response from Malaysian workers.