KUALA LUMPUR – Business operators have urged the government to expedite the process of bringing in foreign workers to rebuild their businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The president of the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association, commonly known as Presma, Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan said due to labour shortage, only about 2,000 out of the total 10,000 chain restaurants under the association could operate 24 hours.
“The government needs to understand why we are making this request. We desperately need workers and the only option are foreign workers.
“The allegation that we prioritise foreign workers and deny job opportunities to local people should not arise.
“We collaborated with the Social Security Organisation (Socso) to implement the Career Generator programme in Negri Sembilan, but the response was very poor when only one local worker wanted to accept the job offer,” he told Bernama.
DM Luxury Auto Spa operator, Muhammad Nizamuddeen Mohd Abd Kadza, 28, said this problem has affected his business.
“My problem now is that the business is uncertain because local workers would only stay for a short time as they cannot do hard work. They would quit after working for just two days, which causes many customers to run away.
“That’s why I request that the entry process of foreign workers be accelerated because only those from Pakistan and India can work in this field,” he said.
Special Prihatin Grant recipient Noralina Amiruddin, 46, who runs a sewing business at Kompleks Pertama here, said hiring foreign workers is a necessity to meet the ever-increasing orders.
“If someone is interested, he or she wants a high salary even though without experience. So, in the end, only one or two locals can be hired. That’s why during this year’s wedding season from November to December, I only dare to take 100 orders.
“Before Covid-19, I had three Indonesian workers. The orders could reach 400 to 500 garments and everything could be done within two months,” she said.
The National Recovery Council has put forward several recommendations to address this problem, including the establishment of a special action committee on labour shortage in micro, small and medium enterprises under the Human Resources Ministry to take an in-depth look into the problem and find solutions as soon as possible. – Bernama, November 4, 2022
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