KUALA LUMPUR: Barbershop, textile outlet, and jewellery shop owners who were affected by the freeze on foreign worker recruitment involving the three subsectors have expressed their willingness to train locals to meet their labour needs.
Malaysian Indian Hair Dressing Salon Owners Association (Mindas) assistant secretary M Meenaq Kumar said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's announcement on the partial approval of applications for the recruitment of foreign workers for the three subsectors would greatly facilitate their business operations.
"It is a good move. For example, my barbershop needs at least two workers to operate. With the government's approval, I'll be able to hire one local worker and one foreign worker and provide them (local workers) with the necessary training.
"For us, it's not a problem because we used to hire locals and train them, but as they gain more experience and skills, they will get a better offer or enough money to start their own businesses. So we need foreign workers to help run our business," he told Bernama.
Meenaq also described the announcement as a huge relief for all the affected entrepreneurs, as recruitment of foreign workers for these subsectors has been frozen since 2009.
On Monday, Anwar announced that the government had approved part of the applications for the recruitment of foreign workers, involving barbershops, textile outlets and goldsmiths.
However, the Prime Minister placed the condition that local youths be trained to fill up vacancies in the three subsectors.
Echoing the same sentiment, Malaysian Indian Textiles and General Goods Traders Association (MITA) secretary general Maheswary Ramasamy said producing a well-trained local workforce would help the industry reduce dependence on foreign labour.
"We are always willing to train local workers...in the textile sector for example, we do not require excessively high levels of skill," he said.
Malaysian Indian Goldsmith Jewellers Association (MIGJA) president Datuk Abdul Rasull Abdul Razak, meanwhile, said for now, the industry is taking a wait-and-see approach pending the Cabinet decision on the matter.
Abdul Rasull said that this was due to the fact that the sector required a large amount of capital and skilled workforce, as well as high salary payments of up to RM15,000 per person.
"We will wait for the Cabinet decision first, and if everything is fine, we'll come out with a programme or something suitable to train them (local workers)," he said.
He described the Prime Minister's announcement as timely and said it was able to prevent entrepreneurs in the industry from shutting down their businesses due to a lack of skilled manpower.
"...most of our skilled workers are old, and some of them have died. Their children aren't interested in taking over the business because they'd rather work for the government. This is one of the reasons why this announcement can help us," he said.
He said that the country's gold and jewellery industry is in dire need of skilled labour, especially from India or Sri Lanka, to meet the demand of customers who prefer unique designs.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Thu Sep 07 2023
Barbershop, textile outlet, and jewellery shop owners who were affected by the freeze on foreign worker recruitment involving the three subsectors have expressed their willingness to train locals to meet their labour needs. - Astro AWANI/Filepic
Terima kasih Stadium Shah Alam - TMJ
Rumah pasukan Selangor itu kini sedang dalam proses untuk dirobohkan selepas lebih empat tahun tidak digunakan.
Peniaga besi buruk terlepas hukuman mati, digantikan penjara 35 tahun
Panel tiga hakim diketuai Ketua Hakim Negara Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat membenarkan permohonan semakan V Raja.
Komuniti India terima tambahan RM130 juta dalam tempoh empat bulan - Ramanan
Ramanan berkata, hanya Kerajaan Perpaduan dan Anwar yang prihatin memberi peruntukan besar kepada masyarakat India di Malaysia.
Beberapa jalan ditutup bermula Sabtu hingga petang Ahad
Beberapa jalan di sekitar kawasan Dewan Serbaguna Jawi, Taman Desa Jawi akan ditutup bermula jam 5 petang Sabtu hingga jam 3 petang Ahad sempena Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Sungai Bakap, Sabtu ini.
Ketua Polis Daerah Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS) Superintendan Chong Boo Khim berkata, jalan yang terlibat ialah Jalan Serindit, Jalan Susur Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah SPS dan Jalan Susur Jabatan Kerja Raya SPS.
Ketua Polis Daerah Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS) Superintendan Chong Boo Khim berkata, jalan yang terlibat ialah Jalan Serindit, Jalan Susur Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah SPS dan Jalan Susur Jabatan Kerja Raya SPS.
Fadhlina rayu undi calon PH
Menteri Pendidikan Fadhlina Sidek merayu pengundi di Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Sungai Bakap memberi peluang kepada calon Pakatan Harapan (PH) bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK), Dr Joohari Ariffin untuk berkhidmat sebagai wakil rakyat pada pengundian Sabtu ini.
Faisal Halim sudah mula jalani sesi latihan sejak Rabu
Pemain berusia 26 tahun itu difahamkan sudah mula turun ke padang tetapi masih belum bersedia untuk menerima sebarang liputan media.
Sebuah roket dari Lubnan dipintas Israel
Sebuah roket yang dilancarkan dari Lubnan berjaya dipintas rejim Israel pada Khamis.
Roket yang dipintas itu kemudian mengenai bumbung sebuah pusat beli-belah di bandar Acre, utara Israel.
Roket yang dipintas itu kemudian mengenai bumbung sebuah pusat beli-belah di bandar Acre, utara Israel.
Singapura tunggu masa sesuai untuk iktiraf Palestin
Republik Singapura pada dasarnya bersedia untuk mengiktiraf Palestin sebagai sebuah negara jika ia menolak keganasan dan menerima hak Israel untuk wujud.
Ratusan penunjuk perasaan Israel gesa pembebasan tebusan
Ratusan penunjuk perasaan anti-kerajaan turun ke jalan-jalan di Baitulmaqdis pada Khamis bagi menggesa pembebasan tebusan ketika rundingan mengenai perjanjian antara Hamas dan Israel dilaporkan akan disambung semula.
Tiga pengendali makanan disyaki pembawa demam kepialu di sekolah
Semua pengendali makanan telah diberi rawatan dan tidak dibenarkan mengendalikan makanan sehingga satu tarikh yang akan dimaklumkan kelak.
PM Anwar lawat Rozaid di Hospital Serdang
Anwar mendoakan agar Rozaid diberi kesembuhan sesegera mungkin.
[KOLUMNIS] Malaysia tegas berjuang, sehingga Palestin merdeka
Kerajaan Malaysia secara konsisten dan lantang menyuarakan sokongan kepada rakyat Palestin di peringkat antarabangsa.
PM sampai bantuan kepada aktivis reformasi
Anwar berharap sumbangan yang disampaikan dapat meringankan beban kos perubatan dan kehidupan seharian Tan serta keluarga.
'Adalah memalukan jika tiada identiti, semangat budaya dalam seni bina' - PM
Selain aspek kecanggihan teknologi, pembangunan tidak boleh menyisihkan keperluan masyarakat dan ia perlu mempunyai rangka serta dasar yang jelas.
Anwar terima kunjungan hormat Yang Dipertua Dewan Perundangan Majlis Oliy Uzbekistan
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini menerima kunjungan hormat Yang Dipertua Dewan Perundangan Majlis Oliy Uzbekistan Dr Nuriddin Ismoilov.
Parlimen: PM tegur Saifuddin tidak ikut kod etika pakaian
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail ditegur Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim kerana tidak mematuhi etika berpakaian pada sidang Dewan Rakyat, pada Selasa.
Kerajaan teliti impak sebelum buat keputusan mengenai rasionalisasi subsidi RON95 - PM
Kerajaan sedang meneliti kesan daripada pelbagai langkah yang diambil berkaitan subsidi sebelum membuat keputusan mengenai rasionalisasi subsidi petrol RON95.
KIGIP bakal jadi hab semai bakat dan inovasi - Anwar
Kerian Integrated Green Industrial Park (KIGIP) bakal menjadi antara hab di utara Malaysia untuk menyemai bakat dan inovasi, kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Indikator ukur kos sara hidup diubah selari perkembangan semasa - Anwar
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata indikator baharu bagi mengukur tahap kos sara hidup (KSH) rakyat telah diubah suai, bagi memastikan ia selari dengan perkembangan semasa negara.
Matrikulasi: "Ini bukan jual maruah Melayu, tetapi keadilan" - PM Anwar
PM seru semua pihak untuk melihat pelajar-pelajar cemerlang ini sebagai anak-anak Malaysia yang perlu dilayan dengan adil dan saksama.