The Malaysian government has announced its decision to ban the entry of migrant workers starting from July. As the number of migrant workers in the labor market is high, the Malaysian government has announced that it will permit the entry of migrant workers until mid-May and then entry will be halted. The Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia has instructed companies to recruit necessary workers before the end of May, as migrant worker entry will cease thereafter.
Home Minister Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stated at a press conference on Friday that the government aims to regulate the influx of migrant workers. “A policy has been formulated to limit foreign workers to 15 percent of the total labor force. Companies have until May 31 to bring in migrant workers within the approved quota,” he said.
Malaysia’s labor force comprises approximately 17 million individuals. As per government directives, only 15 percent of this workforce, equivalent to 2,550,000 migrant workers, will be permitted. However, currently, there are 2,130,931 immigrant workers in Malaysia, with Nepali workers comprising roughly 500,000.
In Malaysia, the attractiveness of migrant workers is also decreasing due to the fact that companies do not provide overtime and some workers are being left unemployed.
Malaysia has been giving priority to Nepali workers since 2007 after signing a zero-cost labor contract with Nepal.
