THE UNHCR believes that a work scheme to allow genuine refugees the opportunity to work lawfully would provide a source of willing labour to support the Malaysian economy.
UNHCR Spokesperson in Kuala Lumpur, Yante Ismail, says that the World Bank has shown in its 2015 Malaysia Economic Monitor that legalised refugee workers would lead to the creation of more jobs in Malaysia, increased wages for Malaysians, and increased GDP.
“UNHCR estimates that monetary contributions generated by a legalised refugee workforce could amount to RM152 million in annual revenue for Malaysia, based on the same levy rates as legal foreign workers,” she says.
Yante says that access to legal work will also transform the quality and protection of refugees’ lives in terms of enhancing self-sufficiency.
A greater self-sufficiency in refugee communities will lead to better health and education and significantly reduce the burden on the host state while providing a stronger basis for refugees to contemplate their future options, including returning to their home countries with transferrable skills to start their new lives.
According to Yante, the UNHCR receives hundreds of calls from employers wishing to support refugees either through employment, internship, or training.
“Unfortunately, unless there is a regulated scheme for employing refugees, these Malaysians who are interested in helping refugees to become self-reliant, have to be turned away,” she says.
However, in December 2016, the Home Affairs Ministry implemented a government-led pilot work scheme for an initial number of 300 Rohingya refugees, shares Yante.
The UNHCR has been providing technical advice and support to the government-led programme, which is currently limited to two sectors, namely plantation and manufacturing.
The plantation sector was piloted first and in December 2017, the pilot programme continued with a batch of refugees working in a manufacturing company (an industrial bakery).
The pilot programme also includes cultural and skills-training conducted by UNHCR’s partner NGO to prepare refugees for the workforce.
There are many Rohingya refugees who are successfully involved in the pilot programme, with many more wanting to participate and work legally, says Yante.
“It is our hope that after this initial pilot phase, this scheme can be expanded to benefit
all refugees in the country. We are convinced that this new approach is a ‘winwin’ for the people of Malaysia, for its security and economy, and for refugees who live here temporarily.”
As of April this year, there are some 170,460 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia. The majority are adults (aged 18 – 59) and male, and therefore of working, taxpaying age.
Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol.
It lacks legal or administrative framework regulating the status and rights of refugees in Malaysia. Refugees are considered undocumented migrants under the Malaysian Immigration Act, and are at risk of arrest, detention, and deportation.
However, last December, the government joined 180 other nations of the United Nations General Assembly to adopt the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). At the heart of the GCR is the idea that refugees should be included in the communities from the very beginning. “When refugees gain access to education and labour markets, they can build their skills and become self-reliant, contributing to local economies and fuelling the development of the communities hosting them,” it states.
In its manifesto, Pakatan Harapan said that it would ratify the 1951 International Convention on refugees so that refugees who escape from war-torn countries and arrive in Malaysia are given proper assistance.
“Their labour rights will be at par with locals and this initiative will reduce the country’s need for foreign workers and lower the risk of refugees from becoming involved in criminal activities and underground economies.
“Providing them with jobs will help refugees to build new lives and without subjecting them to oppression,” Pakatan had said.
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