Freeze on recruitment of foreign workers until year-end, says Saravanan

There will be no new intake of foreign workers in all sectors until the year-end as locals will be given priority to fill up vacancies, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.

"We will not allow (new) foreign workers until year-end. They (foreigners) can come as tourists, if they are allowed," he told a news conference after launching the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) initiative under the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA), at the Human Resources Ministry here today.

He said there are now about two million foreign workers in the country.

"We try to reduce foreign workers in the workforce besides giving priority to locals to secure jobs," he said.

Saravanan said the ministry would evaluate the move by year-end to see if it was effective in helping the locals.

He advised job seekers not to be choosy about jobs to help the country reduce its dependence on foreign workers.

“Don’t think about waiting for a suitable job because the right job might not exist in the immediate future,” he added.