PADANG BESAR, Feb 25 – The Home Ministry (KDN) has approved the applications of 380,000 foreign workers under a plan to facilitate the hiring of workers to meet the country’s economic needs in the post-pandemic period.
Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the ministry implemented the plan based on Bank Negara’s recommendation to ease the conditions for hiring foreign workers.
“So far KDN has approved 380,000 applications from foreign workers who overstayed and did not have valid documents, so that they could immediately seek employment.
“This relaxation is given in several critical sectors like plantation, agriculture, manufacturing and services,” he told reporters after visiting the Padang Besar ICQS Complex today.
Under the first phase of the plan, industry players needed to hire up to 518,000 foreign workers, he said.
Saifuddin Nasution said this was important for the country’s economy, which is expected to grow at 4.5 per cent as stated in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Budget 2023 speech yesterday.
