KUALA LUMPUR: The recruitment of foreign workers into Malaysia must be based on actual sectoral needs and demands, not driven by business interests or profit-making motives, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
The statement issued by the Human Resources Ministry on Friday (May 16) followed Sim's courtesy meeting on Thursday (May 15) with Dr Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bangladesh, and Lutfey Siddiqi, Bangladesh's Special Envoy for International Affairs.
According to the ministry, Malaysia and Bangladesh agreed to strengthen the technical coordination mechanism for labour management through the Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting.
"The next JWG meeting is scheduled to take place on May 21 and 22 in Dhaka," the statement said.
In the meeting, the ministry also shared Malaysia’s long-term strategy to reduce dependence on foreign workers.
The ministry stated that the government was in the process of implementing a multi-tier levy system that would encourage the hiring of local workers while fostering a more sustainable and competitive labour market.
Meanwhile, the ministry said Malaysia expressed appreciation to the Bangladesh government for recognising Malaysia's efforts in tackling abuse and misconduct in labour management processes.
"During the meeting, Bangladesh also confirmed that Malaysia was not involved in any of the alleged misconduct previously raised and expressed their support for Malaysia's firm and principled stance on the issue of human trafficking," it added. – Bernama
