Rafizi Parries Restaurant Groups Call To Allow Hiring Of Foreign Workers

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Economy minister Rafizi Ramli said it was the government’s responsibility to manage the influx of low-skilled foreign workers. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR: Economy minister Rafizi Ramli has dismissed a call from two restaurant groups for the government to allow foreign workers to be brought in for the sector.
In responding to the call, Rafizi said the government’s 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) will continue to focus on reducing the nation’s reliance on low-skilled foreign labour.
Despite the challenges this would present to certain businesses, he said it was Putrajaya’s responsibility to wean Malaysian employers off the dependence on foreign labour.
Rafizi acknowledged that previous Malaysia Plans had failed to resolve the dependency on foreign labour, with the number of migrant workers brought in exceeding the limits set by the government.
“Every five years, under the Malaysia Plan, the economy ministry sets a limit on the number of foreign workers, but each time, the numbers exceed those limits.
“As we move forward with the 13MP, I prefer to be transparent – it is our responsibility to manage the influx of low-skilled foreign workers,” he told reporters after an engagement with industry players for the 13MP.
Earlier, during the engagement with service industry players, Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Operators Association (Presma) deputy president Tahir Salam requested Rafizi to address the manpower issue.
“Our challenge is the lack of manpower in our sector. We have tried to hire local workers but in the end, we are forced to depend on foreign workers,” Tahir said.
Yesterday, Presma and the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association urged Putrajaya to allow them to bring in foreign workers, claiming there was a shortage of 25,000 workers in the sector.
The two industry groups said they had sent letters to the home ministry and other agencies involved in foreign worker recruitment requesting them to consider allowing restaurants to bring in migrant workers.
Separately, Rafizi admitted that the government continued to struggle in curbing the brain drain despite introducing various incentives in the past to encourage Malaysians working abroad to return home.
He said the lack of suitable jobs in Malaysia remained a barrier for those hoping to return.
“People will only come back if there are suitable jobs for them. For example, if you work in the UK, you pay a lot of tax, but why do some return while others don’t?
“It’s because sometimes there are no fitting opportunities for them here. For instance, if you are a biotech engineer specialising in genomes, where would you work in Malaysia?” - FMT

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