Employers still rely on supply of illegals from agents

PETALING JAYA: Many employers still rely on agents of foreign workers to supply them with illegals because they are unwilling to take responsibility for them, said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed.

Employers, he said, should come forward to register their illegal wor­kers or find locals to replace them.

“From the ministry’s investigation, employers still prefer to pay thousands of ringgit to agents to find illegals instead of paying levies to the Government,” Nur Jazlan added.

This, he said, had led to the huge annual outflow of billions of ringgit repatriated by these workers.

The Star had reported that both employers and industry players were urgently pleading with the Government to reconsider the freeze on the fresh intake of foreign wor­kers, complaining that the decision was crippling their businesses.

The Immigration Department has also expressed its willingness to play matchmaker for the employers and the over 50,000 illegal foreign wor­kers now registered with it.

“Their refusal to move up the value chain of manufacturing or invest in automation with the excuse of lowering costs does not bring direct benefits to the country. Instead, it is adding costs to the Government in managing the welfare of foreign workers in the country,” he said.