KUALA LUMPUR: Cuepacs, the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services, has expressed disapproval of any proposal to permit foreign graduates to work in Malaysia in order to address the shortage of skilled manpower. President Datuk Adnan Mat (pic) stated that this proposal not only limits opportunities for locals, but also undermines the country’s efforts to produce highly skilled local graduates. He believes that allowing foreign graduates to fill vacancies in the high-tech sector could lead to reduced wages and increased unemployment rates for local graduates.
He emphasized that local higher education institutions (HEIs) have already implemented numerous programs to produce highly skilled graduates in line with the government’s goals, and that Malaysia is currently on track to produce such graduates without relying on foreign labor.
Reports recently emerged that the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) was considering allowing foreign graduates from local HEIs to work in Malaysia due to the shortage of skilled manpower in sectors such as electrical and electronics (E&E).
Adnan also questioned the willingness of some employers to pay higher wages to foreigners when local candidates are of better quality. He pointed out that the disparity in wages has led many Malaysians to choose to migrate.
He urged the government to enforce a more reasonable minimum wage for local highly skilled workers and suggested that data from the Central Database Hub (Padu) be used to analyze the country’s energy resources and determine appropriate wage rates for Malaysians. – Bernama
