Malaysia is about to begin accepting applications from foreign workers - a chance for Vietnamese workers

DNHN - According to current policy, a foreign worker may work in Malaysia for a maximum of thirteen years. After this period, the employment agreement must expire.

The Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources will begin accepting applications from foreign workers in three crucial fields on October 10, including textiles and apparel, jewellery manufacturing, and hairdressing.

Sivakumar, minister of human resources for Malaysia, announced this plan at a press conference on October 4. Accordingly, the total number of foreign workers required to be recruited at this time is 7,500, of which approximately 5,000 have previously worked in these fields in Malaysia, according to Immigration Department records.

Foreign workers will be required to possess a practising certificate recognised by the Malaysian government, particularly in the barber industry.

According to current policy, a foreign worker may work in Malaysia for a maximum of thirteen years. After this period, the employment agreement must expire.

Sivakumar, minister of human resources, estimates that Malaysia requires approximately 15,000 foreign workers in the textile, jeweller, and barber industries. Due to the employment freeze caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, these industries have faced numerous challenges in recent years. He said, Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources has made efforts to attract local workers to work in these fields, but employers still face many difficulties in recruitment.

Vietnam's recruitment of Vietnamese workers in Malaysia was outlined in a December 2003 Memorandum of Understanding that was revised in August 2015. In March 2022, during the official visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Sri bin Yaakob to Vietnam, the third Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed.

This memorandum of understanding has laid the groundwork for the dispatch of Vietnamese labourers to Malaysia in close cooperation between the two nations. The Government has also tasked the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs with overseeing implementation and advising businesses that wish to send contract workers to Malaysia.

Currently, the majority of Vietnamese workers in Malaysia are employed in the manufacturing, agricultural, construction, and service sectors. This represents opportunities for cooperation and careers between the two countries.

This is an important step towards meeting the demand for labour in specialised industries and strengthening Vietnam and Malaysia's labour cooperation relationship.

P.V (t/h)