Allowing refugees and asylum seekers to work legally in Malaysia would benefit the country and significantly improve the lives of hundreds of thousands living in limbo, say refugee advocates, civil society groups and policy observers.
While the government said in February that it was working on a plan to legalise employment for refugees, concerns persist over the lack of transparency and political will.
“The problem with Malaysia’s refugee crisis is that it’s often seen through a security lens, not a human rights one,” said Hafsar Tameesuddin, a Rohingya refugee and co-secretary-general of the Bangkok-based Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.
“In the 2019 pilot project that failed, refugees were sent to work on plantations – jobs that did not match their skills or aspirations.”
The pilot project, launched in 2016 and discontinued by 2019, granted 300 Rohingya refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) legal access to work in the plantation and manufacturing sectors.
However, according to a 2019 UNHCR Malaysia report and a policy brief by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, the project was flawed. It lacked transparency, failed to match refugees with suitable jobs, involved limited consultation with refugee communities, and offered placements in remote areas with poor living conditions.
The initiative was not well received and was eventually terminated.
Hafsar emphasised that future efforts must involve genuine consultation with all stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations and refugee communities.
“Skill mapping is key. We can support the government by identifying which jobs best suit the community. If done right, we can create a framework that protects workers and restores dignity,” she said.
She added that legal employment would help prevent exploitation and reduce dependence on aid.
“Some refugees were paid as little as RM30 a day – if they were paid at all – highlighting the extent of exploitation. It’s hard to survive like this,” she said.
Political resistance and missed opportunity
Charles Santiago, co-chair of Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), said political inaction has stalled progress.
“There has been no serious political move to address this. Companies have offered to train and hire refugees, but those offers were rejected,” he said.
“Even the Selangor government once proposed to train 1,000 to 2,000 refugees, but the plan was denied.”
Santiago suggested that financial interests may be behind the resistance.
“If you formalise refugee labour, the brokers who profit most from foreign worker recruitment will lose out. That’s one reason this has not moved forward.”
Labour gaps and public perception
Many refugees in Malaysia are already informally employed in what are commonly referred to as the “3D sectors” – dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs – according to a 2019 ISIS Malaysia report titled Granting Refugees Permission to Work in Malaysia, which cited UNHCR data.
These sectors include agriculture, construction, cleaning and domestic work. They have long struggled with labour shortages, as such jobs are generally unpopular among Malaysian workers due to low wages and harsh conditions.
To fill the gap, Malaysia relies heavily on documented and undocumented migrant labour.
Nur Sadek, co-director of the Rohingya Youth Support Network and a law student living in Malaysia, said being allowed to work legally would restore basic human dignity.
“Many of us fled war or persecution. While we are grateful to be safe here, it’s hard to live without the right to work,” he said.
He added that formal employment would benefit Malaysia’s economy.
“Refugees are already doing these jobs informally. Legalising it would stabilise the workforce, increase productivity and boost local spending,” he said.
Sadek dismissed the notion that refugees take jobs away from Malaysians.
“Most of the work we do is work locals aren’t willing to take. Legalising it protects everyone. It is also the moral thing to do,” he said.
He acknowledged, however, that public opinion remains a significant barrier.
“The public perception of refugees has been shaped by misinformation and fear of job competition,” he said.
He called for a national awareness campaign led by the government and supported by NGOs and UN agencies.
“We need to change public perception. People must understand we are not here to take anything. We are here to live safely and contribute.”
Despite the challenges, Sadek said he remains cautiously hopeful.
“If the government truly includes us and listens to our needs, this can succeed,” he said.
“But decisions should not be made without the people affected. We are ready to help make it work – together.”
Malaysia hosts over 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). However, the country is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol.
While refugees and asylum seekers are allowed to remain in Malaysia while awaiting resettlement in a third country, they are barred from working legally and denied access to education and basic healthcare.
Main image: UNHCR