KUALA LUMPUR (March 9): Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said today the government is actually providing employers a subsidy by allowing them to hire foreign workers.

He said the wage difference between local and foreign workers is the subsidy that the government is giving the employers.

"We allow them to hire foreign worker to ensure that they can make profits from their businesses.

"But they should not over-rely on foreign workers as it would create more problems [for] the country," he told a press conference.

Nur Jazlan called on employers to give priority to Malaysians when hiring.

"It is okay for them to pay a higher wage to locals, but they choose the easy way out by hiring foreign workers," he noted.

"They are complaining that locals don't want to work under the hot sun. But for restaurants, they are working as service personnel under air-conditioned conditions. So it is up to the employers to train them and provide them incentives to retain them.

"You can't continue to hire foreign workers to do business, it can't go on," he added.

Nur Jazlan said employers should also consider automating their business to reduce dependence on foreign labour.

Earlier, Nur Jazlan visited a shopping complex nearby to check on the foreign workers there.

During the 20-minute check, he found many foreign workers engaged in sectors that are different from those stated in their work permits.

This prompted the deputy minister to remind the employers to legalise their workers under the six-month re-hiring programme that began since Feb 16.

"Illegal foreign workers do not just mean those without working permits. It also includes those who are working in a sector that's different from what is specified on their work permits," he explained.

He warned errant employers that they could be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed if the ministry took them to court.

According to Nur Jazlan, the re-hiring programme has been receiving a lukewarm response from employers since it was implemented three weeks ago.

To date, only 2,000 employers have come to the ministry to register a total of 12,000 illegal workers.

The re-hiring programme ends on Aug 15.