KUALA LUMPUR: While the government has been raising the barrier for the hiring of foreign workers amid mounting concern over overdependence on foreign labour, the World Bank has highlighted that Malaysia should ease restrictions on labour migration to maximise its benefits. “In receiving countries, foreign workers can fill labour shortages and promote sustained economic growth, if migration policies are aligned with their economic needs. “For instance, Malaysia imposes a levy on foreign workers in part to control the number of low-skilled migrants who enter the country. But it noted that low-wage foreign workers have allowed the country to sustain its trade competitiveness. Between 1995 and 2015, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore hosted 96% of Asean migrants where 6.5 million of intra-regional migrant workers from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia were hosted.

Source: The Edge Markets October 10, 2017 00:22 UTC