KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 4): A total of 238,943 foreign workers have already been approved for a visa with reference by the Immigration Department, and are expected to enter the country soon, the Ministry of Human Resources said.

In addition, more than 644,379 registered foreign workers had passed the health and safety checks in the source countries — and will also be entering Malaysia — Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan added.

The minister said that there are 1,244,400 foreign workers so far in the sectors that are allowed to hire and employ them, including the informal sector. This number is expected to rise to over 2.127 million, he noted.

“If you look at the history, the highest number before the Covid-19 pandemic was only 1.8 million foreign workers. Now, we see a demand of 2.1 million,” the minister said, adding that an in-depth study is needed to determine whether further approval for foreign workers is necessary, citing concerns over local employment.

Saravanan was speaking at the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Oct 4), responding to Ipoh Barat Member of Parliament and former human resources minister M Kulasegaran who enquired about the foreign labour shortage.

“There are, however, factors beyond the control of the ministry, such as the high migration cost, which is the main constraint for employers and the workers themselves to come to Malaysia to work,” Saravanan explained.

He said Malaysia is also competing with other countries such as the Gulf states, South Korea and Japan, which offer better wages for foreign workers.

“There are also bureaucracy issues in the source countries, which cause delays in the entry of migrant workers into the country,” Saravanan said. The ministry is always in communication with the source country embassies to ensure the process goes smoothly, he added.

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