Putrajaya ‘not discounting’ letting refugees work in sectors with critical labour shortages, says home minister

Putrajaya is considering the possibility of legalizing work for refugees in sectors with a critical labor shortage, according to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution. This idea comes as several key economic sectors in Malaysia, such as plantation, manufacturing, construction, and services, face persistent labor shortages and rely heavily on foreign workers.

Saifuddin said that if the data of the 225,000 refugees is collected and filtered, those who fall within the productive age range of 20 to 30 years could potentially be employed in these sectors. The minister emphasized that the government would not rule out this possibility as a way to meet the workforce needs in the country. For instance, if there is a need for 100 workers in an oil palm plantation in Pasir Gudang, the government could either recruit from Bangladesh or check the refugee registration data of those already in Malaysia.

This proposal aims to reduce the need to source labor from abroad, which can be expensive due to administrative costs and government levies, as well as the vulnerability of foreign workers to exploitation.