ID :
120078
Mon, 05/03/2010 - 16:33
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/120078
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1.9 MLN FOREIGN WORKERS RECORDED UP TO END OF 2009
KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 (Bernama) -- More than 1.91 million legal foreign
workers were recorded to be in this country up to Dec 31 last year, according to
the Immigration Department's statistics.
Deputy Home Minister Abu Seman Yusop said out of the 1,918,146,
Indonesians formed the biggest number at 991,940, followed by Bangladeshis
(319,020), Nepalese (182,668), Myanmars (139,731) and Indian nationals
(122,382).
Replying to a question from Senator Ir Zamri Yusuf at the Senate
sitting Monday, he said the government however had no accurate data on the
number of foreign workers without permits as they had entered this country
illegally and their number was not recorded by any agency.
"But the government estimates that there are 1.9 illegals in this country,
on the basis that for every legal foreign worker there is one illegal."
To another question on steps taken by the government to reduce dependency on
foreign workers in the service sector, Abu Seman said the government had
tightened their recruitment.
"We only allow recruitment for the posts of cooks and cleaners and as
workers at island resorts. Foreigners are also not allowed to be frontliners."
To a supplementary question from Senator Abdul Rahman Bakar on
foreigners still found working at the supermarkets, restaurants and petrol
stations, Abu Seman said:
"Perhaps their work permits have not expired. What we did recently was to
freeze the hiring of foreign workers in the other sectors besides those
mentioned."
-- BERNAMA