Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan has urged employers to provide more employment opportunities to Malaysians.

He said there were still business owners who preferred to hire foreign workers over locals.

"I agree that there are sectors that still require foreign workers because we (locals) are not ready yet. For example, in the plantation sector, we need foreign workers. But for a clerk's position in the plantation sector, there is no need to hire a foreign worker

"Likewise, at petrol stations, foreign workers are approved to work as pump attendants, but we also starting to see foreign workers manning the station counters. This is a bad practice.

"I urge owners of pump stations to reduce (hiring foreign workers)," he said when appearing as a guest on the 'Bicara Naratif' programme aired on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) last night.

Saravanan said employers should also provide opportunities to workers who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including youths and single mothers.

Saravanan said he believed that the current economic crisis would see many locals, especially youths willing to venture into the dirty, dangerous and difficult (3D) industries.

"Maybe before, there may have been some who would not want to work in the 3D industries and some have said that locals may not venture into them. But in today's extraordinary situation, many are losing their jobs ... we have to give them a chance," he said.

Saravanan said the government through the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) had introduced the Employment Incentive Programme with an allocation of RM1.5 billion to encourage employers to hire locals, which is expected to benefit more than 300,000 job seekers.

-- BERNAMA