GEORGE TOWN – The government has been urged to review its decision to disallow new migrant workers, especially for the hospitality and tourism sector.
Malaysian Association of Hotels’ Penang chapter chairman K. Raj Kumar said freezing the intake of migrant workers at hotels has severely hurt the industry, which is facing a critical manpower shortage that is preventing many operators from running at full capacity.
“The government has frozen the intake of migrant workers for the hospitality industry, but allows the plantation, manufacturing, and security sectors to absorb these workers.
“We have followed the government’s guidelines to advertise on Jobstreet, Facebook, and other platforms to attract locals to the industry.
“However, there are no takers for the jobs as they shy away from dirty, dangerous, and difficult jobs,” he told The Vibes.
He said the government should address the issue immediately or the industry would be hurt even more.
Raj Kumar stressed that hotels now face higher costs, such as the escalating prices of vegetables, cooking oils, and several raw materials.
“However, we cannot raise our food prices as the people are just recovering from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said
The industry has conducted various initiatives, including training and orientations, to woo local youths, which he said have been to no avail.
“We are offering a salary hike to attract local youth even though we have not raised room rates,” he said.
Raj Kumar said the industry will play a vital economic role in generating revenue for the country in the coming new year.
The general manager of The Light Hotel in Seberang Jaya also said that hotels on mainland Seberang Prai are catching up with those on the island ever since the industry was reopened to guests early last month.
Hotels on the mainland are enjoying 70% average occupancy, compared with those on the island which have an occupancy rate of 80% for the Christmas and New Year holiday seasons.
He added however that some beach hotels are letting themselves operate at 50% room capacity as they face serious manpower shortages.
“They cannot yet operate at 100% despite the Christmas and New Year holiday demand as there is insufficient staff for room make-up and other operational aspects.
“Some customers mess up rooms and staff need more time to restore these rooms, and longer time means delaying customer check-ins, leading to customers becoming restless while waiting,” he said. – The Vibes, December 5, 2021
