Malaysia's foreign worker intake based on industry needs, says Ramanan

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan has clarified that Malaysia will not be recruiting 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next six months as previously reported. The figure cited by Bangladeshi junior minister Mir Shahe Alam was not an official declaration from the Bangladeshi government, according to Ramanan's spokesman, Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.

Ramanan stated that foreign worker intake would be determined by verified industry needs and the ceiling set under the 13th Malaysia Plan, rather than the proposed timeline of 200,000 workers within six months. He dismissed the timeline as illogical and emphasized that the decision to allow foreign workers would be made on a sector-by-sector basis, only when genuine needs were identified.

Ramanan stressed that the federal government's approach aimed to balance the needs of employers and critical sectors with the prioritization of job opportunities for Malaysians and the adherence to the approved policy framework regarding foreign worker reliance.