PUTRAJAYA: More than 500,000 applications have been granted for employers to bring in foreign workers, says Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan (pic).
He dispelled claims that there had been a shortage of workers for the past few weeks, adding that workers would be coming in stages.
“Even if we approved the quota of 400,000 workers, employers still need to plan their (workers) entry. They won’t all come at the same time,” he said at his ministry here during a special briefing session for several Opposition MPs yesterday.
Saravanan said Malaysia now has 1.24 million foreign workers, which is almost the same figure before the country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There were 1.5 million foreign workers in our country before Covid-19 hit,” he told reporters after chairing the session, which was attended by Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran and Beruas MP Ngeh Khoo Ham.
“The number of foreign workers will probably increase if we take into account more than 238,000 foreign workers from the source countries who have been given instant passes.
“This does not include the 640,000 applications that are awaiting the biometric and medical process, which means that foreign workers in the country will reach 2.2 million,” Saravanan said.
Last month, Lim accused Saravanan of failing to solve the shortage of foreign workers. Both men challenged the other to resign, in which Saravanan accepted by saying he would resign as minister if any flaw could be found.
Saravanan then invited Lim and Ngeh to a special briefing after they claimed that the ministry had poorly managed the issue of foreign workers.
He also refuted Lim’s claims of a sudden surge in migrant labour approvals after the ministry approved 541,315 quotas for the recruitment of foreign workers until Sept 26.
He added that Malaysia is in the phase of economic recovery and overcoming unemployment. As such, the approval for foreign workers will only be allowed for six sectors - domestic workers, agriculture, construction, plantation, services and manufacturing.
Earlier, a heated exchange erupted between Saravanan and Opposition MPs in the Dewan Rakyat over the issue of holding the 15th General Election (GE15) during the flood season at the end of the year.
During the debate on the Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill, Saravanan was responding to Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Sharif (BN-Jempol) on the matter.
Saravanan said there is no issue if Parliament is dissolved and GE15 is held before the end of the month.