Young Malaysians only asking for fair wages - Perdasama

Employers should be prepared to pay more reasonable salaries to locals to entice them to work in sectors currently inundated with foreign labour, said the Malaysian Malay Businessmen and Industrialists Association (PERDASAMA).

Its president Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir said the only reason locals especially youth are staying away from jobs in industries like construction and plantations is because of the low salaries.

“For example, thousands of Malaysians are only too willing to work in Singapore in the jobs classified as "3D" or dirty, dangerous and difficult, simply because the salaries are commensurate with such jobs,” he said in a statement today.

“What is happening in Malaysia is that it is the employers who are causing the continuous high dependence on recruitment of foreign workers because they are unwilling to pay salaries commensurate with the nature of work -- dirty, dangerous & difficult,” he added.

He said employers should be prepared to offer salaries befitting the nature of jobs so that the locals have no qualms about filling up such jobs.

“If they are not prepared to do so, PERDASAMA is of the view that they should not undertake such business,” he said.

On the recent freeze on the intake of foreign workers especially from Bangladesh, Moehamad Izat urged the government to organise large-scale programmes with the cooperation of employers to encourage Malaysians especially the youth to become employable in the sectors where the demand for workers is high.

READ: Freeze intake of foreign workers, including Bangladeshis - Ahmad Zahid

READ: '3D' jobs likely to continue offering low pay - Khairy

He said such programmes will enable youths to gain experience and skills and be absorbed easily into the job market.

“Employers should not continue to depend on foreign workers in these sectors in view of their negative implications over the long term,” he said.

Moehamad Izat said Malaysia needs to upgrade the quality of companies running the various businesses.

He warned that unless the companies are willing to offer more reasonable salaries commensurate with the nature of work, Malaysia will continue to be flooded with foreign workers.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Fen 19 ordered the intake for all foreign workers including the 1.5 million Bangladesh workers to be frozen, with immediate effect.

He also called on local employers to hire locals instead of depending on foreign labour.