Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran said this in response to a question from Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (PH-Kapar) in Dewan Rakyat today.

Kulasegaran also reminded employers wishing to hire foreign workers that they must comply with the policies set by the government, adding that the policies were applicable to all employers regardless of whether they were local or foreign.

He said foreign workers would only be allowed in certain sectors, sub-sectors and those involving the basic occupational categories.

“The government has imposed strict conditions on employers wishing to hire foreign workers by requiring them to advertise job vacancies on the JobsMalaysia 2.0 portal. This will be a prerequisite for employers before they can apply to hire foreign workers.

“This is to ensure that priority is being given to locals,” he said.

Abdullah Sani had asked the government to state the measures it would take if foreign companies took over local companies and refused to hire local workers.

Kulasegaran explained that the government had set a ratio of local and foreign workers for each sector and sub-sector.

This is to regulate the influx of foreign workers and to ensure locals are not deprived of employment opportunities.

It was reported that statistics released by the Immigration Department, as of May 31, showed a total of 1,781,598 foreign workers were granted work permits in five formal and informal sectors.

Kulasegaran also said previously that the JobsMalaysia 2.0 portal which was launched earlier this month would serve as a one-stop centre to provide job market information to job seekers.

He said statistics showed that active job seekers in the country numbered 241,057, while there were 114,138 job vacancies.