In separate statements, the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM) and Malaysian Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) said the slow arrival of workers would further derail business recovery and sustainability of operations as the country continues to recover from the pandemic.
NCCIM president Soh Thian Lai called for all processes to be conducted virtually through a single online system to increase efficiency and shorten the waiting time for applications, thus expediting the intake of workers.
“Specifically, the business community seeks the coordinated support and facilitation of all government agencies, particularly the immigration department, to deploy more officers to states with a larger number of foreign worker applications during this period,” he said.
While the employer interview process has become more organised and efficient, he said the lengthy period for visa approvals created a further bottleneck in the recruitment process, especially in the Klang Valley, adding that it could take close to six weeks.
Soh said employers could not understand why it took such a long time when most of the information was already in the immigration department’s system.
He also said the lack of flights was also affecting the arrival of workers, hoping that local airlines would be allowed to increase their flight frequencies for source countries.
Meanwhile, MBAM urged Putrajaya to let Construction Labour Exchange Centre Bhd handle all applications for foreign workers from the industry, rather than having to go through the human resources ministry.
The association, which comprises 10 different construction groups, said this would simplify the process and was already the “original plan” for the construction industry.
“The reality is the industry has waited far too long for foreign workers. Queuing in person at the human resources ministry to get quota applications for foreign workers should be a thing of the past.
“The lack of action to solve this problem is appalling. For contractors, there is no cash flow right now due to a lack of progress at construction sites because of insufficient workers.”