THE Labour Department carried out inspections on 21,352 premises as of June this year as part of the efforts by the Human Resources Ministry against child labour, says Steven Sim.
He said the authorities will ensure that employers adhere to legal provisions that prevent the hiring of child-age workers.
According to the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966, children under the age of 15 are not allowed to work except in specific jobs that are explicitly permitted and do not endanger their health, safety or morals, he added.
“As of June 2025, a total of 21,352 employer premises have been inspected.
“If any violations of the law are found, strict action will be taken, including prosecution in court,” he said in a written reply to Datuk Adnan Abu Hassan (BN-Kuala Pilah).
Adnan had asked the ministry to state its efforts in tightening and intensifying enforcement against the offence of employing underage children.
He also asked the ministry about the effectiveness of current labour laws in preventing child labour exploitation in Malaysia.
To strengthen enforcement efforts, Sim said the Labour Department in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak continuously carries out periodic inspections at workplaces to detect and combat child labour practices.
He added that the ministry conducts awareness and educational activities for employers and the general public on the importance of children’s education and the negative impact of child labour on their future development.
“The effectiveness of existing laws is also reviewed from time to time to ensure that they remain relevant and effective in tackling all forms of child labour exploitation in the country,” said Sim.
In a separate written reply, Sim said 2,144,789 foreign workers are employed in Malaysia.
He added that the highest number of workers are from Bangladesh (803,322), followed by Indonesia (543,514) and Nepal (332,712). A total of 106,929 workers are from India, followed by Pakistan (76,011), the Philippines (52,340), Thailand (21,822) and Vietnam (16,614).
There are 5,938 from Sri Lanka, 5,655 from Cambodia and 4,796 from China. It also stated that there are 1,491 from Laos, 12 from Uzbekistan and three from Kazakhstan.
He was responding to Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Abd Muttalib (PN-Maran), who asked the ministry to state the top 15 source countries that provide workers to Malaysia.
