<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top> Coffeeshop Chit Chat - KL to cut back on foreign workers </TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Move comes amid fear Malaysians overseas might lose their jobs</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia wants to reduce the number of foreign workers by 400,000 people annually between this year and 2010, said Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.
He also said that, between January and June this year, foreign workers in Malaysia had remitted RM9.12 billion (S$3.86 billion) overseas. On average, each had sent home about RM720 a month.
There are 2.1 million registered foreign workers in Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib told Parliament on Wednesday, speaking in his capacity as Finance Minister.
There are a total of 10.9 million people in the Malaysian workforce, according to government data. Most of the foreign workers are from Indonesia.
Mr Najib was replying to a question by a lawmaker who had asked the Finance Ministry about Malaysia's 'dependency' on foreign workers, who had remitted RM17.2 billion overseas last year.
'The strong position of the country's reserves can still support the outflow, which is only 4.7 per cent of the current reserve,' Mr Najib was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
The amount of cash sent home by migrant workers is expected to rise to RM18.1 billion this year.
Mr Najib said the government does not plan to impose a levy or tax on the money transferred out.
He said foreign workers had contributed to Malaysia's economic development, especially in the manufacturing and plantation sectors. He noted the benefits of using these workers should be viewed in terms of their contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Every 1 percentage point rise in their number would mean a 0.19 point rise in GDP.
'However, the government will monitor the outflow of funds through the financial institutions that provide money transfer services,' he added.
He did not explain why the ministry had decided to cut the number of foreign workers. But his comments came amid concerns that Malaysians working overseas, including those in Singapore, could lose their jobs because of the global credit crisis.
The Ministry of Human Resources has set up a committee to monitor the situation, the NST said.
According to a statement released by Human Resources Minister S. Subramaniam, the Labour Department would assist all Malaysian workers in Singapore who had lost their jobs.
'There are some 300,000 Malaysians working in the Republic,' he said. 'They can contact the Labour Department in Johor Baru for help in getting jobs in the state.'
He also said the department had set up a registry in the city to meet the needs of job seekers.
'Currently, there are 2,000 vacancies in Johor. Employers are encouraged to register any vacancies in their companies with the department,' he said.
Commenting on the fate of Malaysians working in Singapore, Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman said that, in a recession, foreign workers are the first to suffer the consequences.
'It is up to them whether they want to remain in Singapore or register themselves with an employment agency in Johor. Most of them, I believe, reside in Johor but commute daily to Singapore,' he was quoted as saying yesterday by The Star.
He said there were still many job openings in Johor, especially in manufacturing, and oil and gas. Civil service trade union Cuepacs said about 50,000 contract employees in the service are facing the possibility of retrenchment by the end of this year, online news site Malaysiakini reported.
[email protected]
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Move comes amid fear Malaysians overseas might lose their jobs</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia wants to reduce the number of foreign workers by 400,000 people annually between this year and 2010, said Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.
He also said that, between January and June this year, foreign workers in Malaysia had remitted RM9.12 billion (S$3.86 billion) overseas. On average, each had sent home about RM720 a month.
There are 2.1 million registered foreign workers in Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib told Parliament on Wednesday, speaking in his capacity as Finance Minister.
There are a total of 10.9 million people in the Malaysian workforce, according to government data. Most of the foreign workers are from Indonesia.
Mr Najib was replying to a question by a lawmaker who had asked the Finance Ministry about Malaysia's 'dependency' on foreign workers, who had remitted RM17.2 billion overseas last year.
'The strong position of the country's reserves can still support the outflow, which is only 4.7 per cent of the current reserve,' Mr Najib was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
The amount of cash sent home by migrant workers is expected to rise to RM18.1 billion this year.
Mr Najib said the government does not plan to impose a levy or tax on the money transferred out.
He said foreign workers had contributed to Malaysia's economic development, especially in the manufacturing and plantation sectors. He noted the benefits of using these workers should be viewed in terms of their contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Every 1 percentage point rise in their number would mean a 0.19 point rise in GDP.
'However, the government will monitor the outflow of funds through the financial institutions that provide money transfer services,' he added.
He did not explain why the ministry had decided to cut the number of foreign workers. But his comments came amid concerns that Malaysians working overseas, including those in Singapore, could lose their jobs because of the global credit crisis.
The Ministry of Human Resources has set up a committee to monitor the situation, the NST said.
According to a statement released by Human Resources Minister S. Subramaniam, the Labour Department would assist all Malaysian workers in Singapore who had lost their jobs.
'There are some 300,000 Malaysians working in the Republic,' he said. 'They can contact the Labour Department in Johor Baru for help in getting jobs in the state.'
He also said the department had set up a registry in the city to meet the needs of job seekers.
'Currently, there are 2,000 vacancies in Johor. Employers are encouraged to register any vacancies in their companies with the department,' he said.
Commenting on the fate of Malaysians working in Singapore, Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman said that, in a recession, foreign workers are the first to suffer the consequences.
'It is up to them whether they want to remain in Singapore or register themselves with an employment agency in Johor. Most of them, I believe, reside in Johor but commute daily to Singapore,' he was quoted as saying yesterday by The Star.
He said there were still many job openings in Johor, especially in manufacturing, and oil and gas. Civil service trade union Cuepacs said about 50,000 contract employees in the service are facing the possibility of retrenchment by the end of this year, online news site Malaysiakini reported.
[email protected]
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