218,588 locals emplaced in employment market In 2012

A total of 218,588 Malaysians were emplaced on the employment market through the Job Emplacement Programme (3P) last year, said Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Ismail Abdul Muttalib.

Meanwhile, as of June this year, 73,769 workers were emplaced in the various sectors under the same programme.

"This is among the measures taken by the government to raise the number of local workers and reduce dependency on foreign workers," he told the Dewan Rakyat when replying to a question from Dr Tan Seng Giaw (DAP-Kepong) today.

Dr Tan had asked on the number of legal and illegal foreign workers employed in the country and the ministry's policy on immigrants.

Quoting data from the Malaysian Statistics Department, Ismail said so far the number of Malaysian nationals working in the private sector stood at 6.5 million.

"Meanwhile, Immigration Department statistics showed that there were 1.5 million foreign immigrants holding temporary work permits," the Deputy Minister said.

Quoting statistics from the Home Ministry, he said as of August last year, there were 1.3 million illegal immigrants working in the country.

On government efforts to reduce dependency on foreign workers especially in the market for the 3D (dirty, dangerous and demeaning) category, Ismail said the government had frozen the employment of foreign workers in sectors where local workers were ample.