KUALA LUMPUR: Applications for hiring foreign workers in the services sector under the purview of the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) are nearing the government-approved quota for this year, according to the Home Ministry.
It said the quota for the sector, capped at 30,000 workers for the year, is close to being fully utilised.
“As a result, applications for foreign worker employment quotas for the services sector overseen by KPDN submitted through the Home Ministry’s One-Stop-Centre for Foreign Worker Management will be closed earlier than scheduled, effective Dec 26,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday.
However, applications for foreign worker quotas in other approved sectors and subsectors will remain open until Dec 31, subject to existing conditions.
Employers across the country have expressed strong dissatisfaction after the application process for foreign workers in the services sector was abruptly terminated earlier than the original Dec 31 deadline.
The sudden announcement by the Home Ministry led to congestion and confusion at the Putrajaya Immigration Department, where many employers had travelled from across the country, only to be told that the quota was filled and applications were no longer being accepted.
SME Association of Malaysia president Dr Chin Chee Seong said he had received numerous complaints from members, some of whom had applied for weeks but were still unable to obtain a queue number.
