The Association of Employment Agencies (PAPA) claims that Malaysia still lacks approximately one million foreign workers needed to sustain various sectors’ needs post-pandemic this year. PAPA president Datuk Foo Yong Hooi said foreign labour demand is critical in several sectors, especially construction, agriculture, services and manufacturing, which are crucial to jumpstart the country’s economy.
Foo told Utusan Malaysia that the number of registered foreign workers declined to around 900,000 during the government-imposed movement control order (MCO) in 2020 as compared to the 2.2 million-strong labour workforce before the pandemic. “The construction sector lacks about 300,000 workers, agriculture about 230,000 workers, whereas manufacturing about 100,000 to 200,000 workers. “The service sector also lacks about 100,000 workers. Therefore, it is estimated at least 800,000 to a million foreign workers are needed,” he said.
On December 9, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said currently, there are a total of 1.4 million foreign workers on a temporary work pass in the country.
