Give priority to local workers, employers told

Employers have been urged to give priority to the locals, especially the young, over foreigners when hiring workers.

Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Muttalib said employers should not hire aliens when there were still many local youths who could handle the jobs which were given to the former.

"We don't deny the need to hire foreign workers. But, at the same time, we don't want our youths to be neglected when jobs are filled by foreigners.

"The excuse often given by employers is that local workers don't want to work, but is the claim true?" he told reporters when met at Kampung Lubuk Paku here, Friday night.

Ismail, who is also the Member of Parliament for Maran, said this when asked to comment on the statement by the Home Minister that about 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers would be brought into the country in stages over the next three years to fulfill the needs of employers in the various sectors.

Ismail also attended a breaking-the-fast gathering and handing out contribution to the needy by the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, and his wife, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Sultan Iskandar, to 200 villagers around here.