Keep migrant worker recruitment under HR Ministry, MEF tells govt

KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Employers’ Federation (MEF) has proposed that the recruitment and management of migrant workers, including migrant domestic workers, remain under the Human Resources Ministry to ensure business efficacy.

The process of bringing in new migrant workers to Malaysia was revamped in April, with the Human Resources Ministry spearheading the management of the One-Channel System (OCS), it said.

"The Human Resources Ministry is in a better position to do all the required approvals instead of cross-ministry involvement, which wastes too much time on bureaucracy and adds costs.

“MEF believes that the Human Resources Ministry being the custodian of labour working with employers and unions should be the one-stop ministry to manage the OCS,” president Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman said in a statement.

He said, under their tripartism principles, employers and employees as well as their trade unions have organised many meetings with the ministry to discuss labour policies and resolve human resources matters.

“Hence, the Human Resources Ministry officials from the Labour Department, Manpower Department, Skills Development Department, and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health are well aware of the situation on the ground,” he added. – Bernama, December 20, 2022