PETALING JAYA: Employment groups have raised strong objections to a proposed digital recruitment platform, warning it could disrupt the existing system and place a heavy financial burden on businesses and workers.
In a joint statement, three groups, namely Persatuan Agensi Pekerjaan Malaysia (Papa), Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Agensi Pekerjaan Swasta Malaysia (Pikap) and Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Sumber Manusia Malaysia (Pusma) said they had written to all relevant ministers to voice their concerns over the proposal.
They said the move would eliminate the role of licensed agents in the recruitment process and shift costs to both workers and employers under the proposed platform.
“We register our strongest objection to the establishment of said platform.
"We have written a letter dated April 8 and delivered this letter to all ministers concerned today,” the groups said on Tuesday (Apr 14).
They said the platform would require workers to pay for access, while employers would have to pay the equivalent of one month’s salary for recruitment arrangements.
The groups warned that removing agencies from the process could affect about 12,000 families involved in recruitment services, while many small and medium enterprises, particularly those established in the 1980s and 1990s, could face closure due to rising costs.
While supporting ethical recruitment in principle, they said implementation should be gradual over about 10 to 15 years, instead of being rushed through a digital platform without proper consultation.
“We regret that the pretext of ethical recruitment has been widely used to rationalise the move to speedily set up this digital platform without any consultation with all stakeholders,” they said.
They urged the relevant ministries not to proceed with the proposal until comprehensive engagement with stakeholders is carried out.
The groups called on business groups such as chambers of commerce, the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers and SME associations to assess its implications.
The statement also supported a call by PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar for Putrajaya to reassess what was described as an “overly complex” migrant worker management system.
They added that Malaysia’s foreign recruitment process should avoid unnecessary layers involving multiple private contractors and instead revert to existing laws, which have been proven effective.
The groups said they had submitted their concerns to several ministries, including the Home Ministry, Human Resources Ministry and the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry.
