KUALA LUMPUR – The government currently has no plans to hire additional foreign workers, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan clarified today.
Ramanan refuted claims that Malaysia is set to recruit over 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next six months, calling the figures highly impractical.
“Bringing in 200,000 workers in six months means importing 1,000 Bangladeshi workers daily. How is that even feasible?” Ramanan questioned during a press conference.
He explained that the statement, originally made by a Bangladeshi deputy minister, was a result of a misunderstanding and did not represent Dhaka’s official position, a point also confirmed by Unity Government spokesperson Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
Under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13), the recruitment of foreign labor will strictly depend on direct operational needs across the industrial and service sectors.
The government remains committed to capping foreign labor at 13 percent of the total national workforce, with a long-term goal of reducing it to 10 percent by 2030.
Ramanan added that any decision to review or open additional quotas would only be brought up for discussion in Cabinet if an absolute necessity arises. -MalayaDailyToday
