Malaysian companies will be encouraged to hire local workers to replace over 25 lakh (2.5 million) foreign labourers, including Indians, working in sectors like hospitality and security by increasing wages.
Human resources minister Datuk S Subramaniam said there are around 1,50,000 Indians living in Malaysia 'illegally' and both the Malaysian and Indian governments are taking steps to reduce the number.
"Currently we have 2.5 million foreign workers both legal and illegal who are working in industries like plantation, restaurants and security.
"We have porous borders with Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines and we have people coming from those countries on a daily basis," he told visiting Indian journalists.
"We want to reduce the amount of foreign labourers in the country and replace them with locals. Locals are not willing to work in these sectors as the pay is very less for those working in these sectors," he said.
People from India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand work in restaurants and plantations in large numbers in Kuala Lumpur.
The minister said the government would bring a new legislation to raise the salaries of the people working in these sectors.
"Then the locals will also start working in these sectors," he said, adding Malaysia will take steps to increase skills and productivity.
Subramaniam, who is also an ethnic Indian, said there are around 1,50,000 Indians living 'illegally' in Malaysia and were working in restaurants and other low-key sectors.
The minister noted that majority of these came by visa-on-arrival facility and that is the one of the reasons why Malaysia stopped the facility from Indian cities.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had on Monday told the Indian journalists that 39,046 Indians are 'missing' in Malaysia and that most of these were from Tamil Nadu who had entered Malaysia through the facility.
Subramaniam said India and Malaysia have signed a memorandum of understanding in 2009 to streamline the immigration under which the Indian agent should specify to his clients about the place of work and other things before leaving the country's shores.
"Through this we plan to reduce the number of illegal immigrants. . . It is very clear that now the agent should tell the workers about the place of work and other things prior to their departure, otherwise action would be taken against him," he said.
The minister said Malaysia wants people to come legally and if they do so the country will give all protection.
Subramaniam, who will accompany Razak during his India visit beginning January 19, said he would meet with HRD minister Kapil Sibal regarding imparting skill training for Malaysian workers.
