PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry will be the agency tasked with overseeing the recruitment of foreign workers, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said most of the process involved in hiring foreign workers will fall under the ministry’s jurisdiction.
He said as part of the realignment of the management of foreign workers, its counterpart - the Human Resources Ministry - will continue to oversee the aspects of identifying and engaging source countries, determining quota eligibility, and labour policies.
“The realignment means three-fourth of the approval process will be under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry as the main custodian,” he said.
The process of hiring a foreign worker begins at the application by an employer until the arrival of the worker.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar after a special committee meeting, Saifuddin said stakeholders such as employers, industries, associations, and foreign workers do not need to worry about this policy change.
He said the realignment will not affect the procedure of hiring foreign workers.
Industry players have previously slammed the shift of the one-stop centre for the recruitment of foreign workers to come under the purview of the Home Ministry from the Human Resources Ministry.
On whether the labour shortage issue can be resolved by the first quarter of this year, Saifuddin said, “We pray that we can resolve it.”
