local labours are hard to find

LOCAL LABOURS ARE HARD TO FIND.

Many employees faced problems to find locals helpers to help them run their businesses. Often we found that the foreign workers take over those jobs. A local worker doing general manual work in the coffee shop or mamak restaurant is getting to be rare sight these days. Not only the food and beverage business sectors faced a lack of local workers, but even hotels, industrials factories, and agricultural sectors are also faced the same problems. These situations are worrying Government at a long run whereas The Human Resources Ministry said there were 36,000 unemployed Malaysians between October and December last year. Even with the ample job opportunities present, Malaysian have shunned these job, and this has put the future of those sectors mentioned  in jeopardy. On the other side, Deputy Ministry of Human Resources Datuk Maznah Mazlan said there were two million registered foreign workers in the country in 2008.

          

There are many factors why local labours are not interested in certain jobs as work in uncomfortable condition, long working hour, and unsatisfactory salary. Locals are claimed as choosy and not interested doing jobs with long hour working such as work

at the markets and restaurants. Most  parents do not want their children working as local helpers. Many locals usually stay for a short while and then leave compare to foreign

workers that have no problems to work extra hour daily during weekends on even public

holidays. Local youths are also not interested in jobs at restaurants or market as they view

them to be dirty and demeaning. Those are the effects local industrial and businesses sectors that are made the employees hang on to their businesses.

           

Looking at those problems, the Government has still no special mechanism to control the flow of migrant workers into the country. Government has suggested to adopts a minima wage system-citing low wage as an important factor why locals are not interested in taking on certain jobs. Minimum wage system can replace bulk of foreign labour. Several labour bodies have expressed concern about how national dependence on cheap foreign labours that can be reduced, as it is one of the Strategic Reform Initiatives (SRIs) of the newly revealed National Economic Model (NEM) report. A levy system will be stringently applied to reduce dependency on foreign labour over time.

   Government has to develop human resource potential with proper training and education and identification of the different sectors and youth groups. The Human Resource Ministry must work closely with youth organizations to achieve these objectives. Instead of just reducing the number of foreign workers and sending illegal foreigners into detention, legalising the illegals till locals show interest in such jobs must continues. Co-operation between ministries and all parties concerned, such as NGOs and traders associations, was essential in implementing this strategy. Government will emphasises the development of local man power in efforts to reduce dependency on foreign labour by required all quarters to cooperate in providing facilities to enable women to work such as nurseries for children at the workplace and others.

   

 Although Government must admit that Malaysian manufactures still had to depend on foreign worker as locals were not keen to work in certain jobs; the step to reduce local dependence on unskilled foreign labour must be proceed even stating it would take a long time to achieve as Malaysian mindsets need changing. The focus should not be only on changing the mindsets of potential local staff but to also ensure restaurant owners and other labour-intensive businesses strive to create a conducive work environment where locals would want to work. Hopefully Malaysian will achieve to avoid from dependence on foreign labour as it will solve social and crime problems related to foreigner and hope that some of the critical factors will be considered and root problems will be addressed.


REFERENCES:

LOH JOSEPH and S.BEDI RASHVINJEET, THE STAR, SUNDAY 7 MARCH 2010, MALAYSIA.

BERNAMA, THE STAR, MONDAY 8 MARCH 2010, MALAYSIA.

MUSA ZAZALI, THE STAR, MONDAY 8 MARCH 2010, MALAYSIA.

MUSA ZAZALI, STARBIZ, THESTAR FRIDAY 26 MARCH 2010, MALAYSIA.