PM dept blames employers for excessive foreign workers in the country

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 -- Employers taking the easy way out by preferring to hire foreigners rather than locals is the reason why the nation is deluged with foreign workers, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator T. Murugiah.

Murugiah said that although foreign workers caused a variety of problems like shirking their responsibilities, playing truant or absconding altogether, employers still gave priority to them than locals.

"I do not see any initiative on the part of them, like advertising vacancies, holding job fairs or going to the kampungs to hire more Malaysians.

"Instead, they prefer the easy way and go to the Home Ministry to solve their labour needs," he told reporters at Parliament's lobby today.

Murugiah said this in commenting on a news report in Utusan Malaysia today that said one in five workers in Malaysia now was a foreigner.

He added that the low wage factor was the primary reason why employers opted for foreign workers and hoped the Human Resources Ministry would take the necessary action to ensure Malaysian workers got a fair deal.

-- BERNAMA