KUALA LUMPUR – The Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (DPMM) has called for continuous monitoring and improvements to the new digital foreign worker quota application system to ensure an efficient and transparent approval process.
DPMM president Norsyahrin Hamidon said the e-Quota module under the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS) must be closely monitored in terms of system stability, processing times, procedural clarity and employer support.
“DPMM hopes the implementation of this new system will be constantly monitored and improved to keep the approval process efficient, transparent and responsive to industry needs,” he said in a statement on July 8, as reported by Bernama.
On July 6, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan announced that all foreign worker quota applications would be processed entirely through the FWCMS e-Quota module, effectively ending the previous case-by-case approval process.
Norsyahrin welcomed the move, describing it as a significant reform to strengthen governance, improve transparency and streamline foreign worker recruitment management.
He said the digital system could reduce bureaucratic red tape, remove perceptions of interference in the approval process and ensure fairer treatment for employers regardless of company size or location.
“At the same time, it has the potential to speed up the application process, reduce compliance costs and boost the business community’s confidence in the government’s delivery system,” he said.
However, Norsyahrin stressed that foreign worker management reforms must also be aligned with efforts to strengthen Malaysia’s local workforce.
“The deployment of foreign workers should meet the needs of sectors facing labour shortages without undermining efforts to improve job opportunities, skills and productivity among Malaysians,” he said.
The Ministry of Human Resources has abolished the previous case-by-case process for foreign worker quota applications, requiring all requests to be submitted and processed through a centralised online system as part of reforms to improve transparency and efficiency.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said the move follows the Cabinet’s decision to place the One Stop Centre (OSC) for foreign worker management under Kesuma, with applications now managed through the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS).
“There is no more case-by-case. I repeat, there is no more case-by-case,” he told reporters at a special press conference at Wisma HRD Corp on July 6.
