Employers must prioritise local job seekers - Saravanan

Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said any job opportunity must be offered to local job seekers first especially considering these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In realising this effort, the government has agreed to require employers to advertise all job vacancies on the JobsMalaysia Portal within at least 30 days before they intend to hire foreign workers and expatriates.

"It is aimed at letting all departments or agencies under the ministry to have sufficient time to implement the job matching process and be able to prioritise local job seekers," he said in a statement yesterday.

Local job seekers are encouraged to register themselves on the MYFutureJobs portal, he added.

Saravanan said for private employment agencies, including those who manage and authorise the hiring of foreign workers as well as expatriates are advised to ensure that employers take appropriate action in accordance with government regulations.

He said employers were required to comply with the Foreign Workers First Out (FWFO) element in line with the provisions under Section 60N of the Employment Act 1955 and the Code of Conduct for Industrial Harmony.

This is to ensure that when it comes to layoffs, foreign workers must be terminated first to ensure the continuity of employment of local workers, he added.

Saravanan said companies seeking to reduce the size of their business by reducing local and foreign workers were required to report the matter to the Department of Labour (JTK).