According to Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk R. Ramanan, barbers and goldsmiths in Malaysia are still facing a shortage of workers.
He mentioned that the Ministry of Human Resources has not filled 5,000 places out of the 7,500 quota announced for recruitment in these sectors.
Even though his team cannot speak on behalf of the Ministry of Human Resources, they have reached out to the ministry for an explanation regarding this issue.
Ramanan made these statements at the Ponggal celebrations and the launch of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (WES) organized by the Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (MAICCI) in Kuala Lumpur on January 20.
In September, the Cabinet decided to open a recruitment quota for 7,500 barbers, textile workers, and goldsmiths in the service subsector following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement to reopen the recruitment of foreign workers for these sectors, which had been previous frozen since 2009.
Ramanan also encouraged women entrepreneurs to take advantage of the programs and initiatives offered by the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP), particularly the women-specific programs such as Program Pemerkasaan Usahawan Wanita (Puan), Skim Pembiayaan Ikhtiar (SPI), UDA Bizznita, TEKUNNita, and Successful Women Entrepreneurship Engagement Talent (Sweet).
“Women entrepreneurs from various business backgrounds should not miss out on participating in the programs and initiatives implemented by the Ministry of Enterpreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP), especially for women,” Ramanan stated. – Bernama
