Malaysian employers will not be allowed to bring in foreign workers in all sectors until the year-end, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.

Speaking in a news conference after launching the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) initiative under the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA), at the Human Resources Ministry on Sunday (Jun 22), Mr Saravanan said that the rule for no intake of migrant workers aims to give priority for local Malaysians to fill up vacancies.

“We will not allow (new) foreign workers until year-end. They (foreigners) can come as tourists, if they are allowed,” he said.

The minister said there are now about two million foreign workers in the country. “We try to reduce foreign workers in the workforce besides giving priority to locals to secure jobs,” he said.

Mr Saravanan said the ministry would evaluate the move by year-end to see if it was effective in helping the locals.

He also advised job seekers not to be choosy about jobs to help the country reduce its dependence on foreign workers. “Don’t think about waiting for a suitable job because the right job might not exist in the immediate future,” he added.

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