Hiring of foreign workers in three sub-sectors to begin once mechanism is fine-tuned, says HR Minister

PUTRAJAYA: The Human Resources Minister, V. Sivakumar, has announced that applications to hire foreign workers in the barbershop, goldsmith, and textile store industries will only be opened once the procedures have been refined. He mentioned that a meeting will be held between his ministry and the Home Ministry next week to discuss this matter. Sivakumar clarified that although applications have not been opened yet, they will be in the near future after the necessary adjustments have been made.

Last week, the Cabinet approved a quota of 7,500 foreign workers for these three sub-sectors. This decision came after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement to lift the freeze on recruitment of foreign workers in these industries, which had been in place since 2009. The Human Resources Ministry, the Home Ministry, and the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry have been assigned the task of devising the appropriate mechanism for recruitment.