THE manpower shortage in factories has been made worse by the attitudes of local workers, whom manufacturers say are unable to work as effectively as their foreign counterparts.

Factories, many running into difficulties after being saddled with the manpower shortage that prevents them from running a full operation, are complaining that employers find local workers’ performances wanting.

Employers said these locals prefer not to work in the difficult environment, and want the easy way out by entering the gig economy.

For those who are already employed in the manufacturing sector, they are always ready with excuses to skip work or behave “like emperors”, claimed bosses.

“Ideally, employers would prefer to have locals fill up these labour shortages, given the many challenges and frustrations faced in the foreign worker recruitment process,” Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers president Soh Thian Lai said.

However, Soh said, hiring locals, especially to fill the unskilled general worker category, continues to pose difficulties and comes with different sets of challenges such as high attrition rates despite being offered higher wages, often above minimum wage.

Apart from demands for high wages, which are not commensurate with their experience, locals are also found to be unwilling to work overtime.

“This is critical at this stage as many industries are catching up on orders and sales that were interrupted during the pandemic and (due to) supply chain disruptions,” said Soh.

He said it is regrettable that locals are demanding such high wages yet are not willing to work overtime.

Another well-documented fact is that locals are unwilling to work in a 3D – dirty, difficult, and dangerous – environment.

Soh told The Malaysian Insight that locals have attitude problems, leading to more applications for medical leave as well as high absenteeism, and they generally do not stay long at one company and tend to job-hop frequently.

These attitude problems do not give employers the labour stability they require, claims Soh.

Soh said there is also a greater inclination among locals to seek gig jobs, which provides better income and more flexible working arrangements.

Locals prefer gig economy

SME Association of Malaysia president Ding Hong Sing said some two million foreign workers have returned to their home countries.

He said this has resulted in a serious shortage of manpower in all sectors of the economy, but finding the numbers among locals to replace them is turning out to be an extremely difficult exercise.

“Locals, especially the young ones, prefer gig work, and wait for their handphones to ring for food delivery orders rather than be subjected to rigid working hours in factories,” Ding said.

He said when more people opt to work as delivery men, it could create a dangerous imbalance in the economy with no one interested in working in 3D locations like farms, factories, construction sites and plantations.

Ding also said locals would look for all kinds of excuses not to turn up for work, with the most common being claims of compassionate leave due to the death of a family member, or a family member being hospitalised or ill.

“They give all kinds of excuses and many (of the excuses) are unreasonable,” he added.

But Ding said employers dare not tick off their employees for fear they could quit.

“Their factories have orders to fulfil and they cannot afford to be short-handed.”

Despite many employers being forced to play nice, Ding said workers are aware that the current labour market is an “employees market”, and they therefore do not have to play by the rules.

He said there have been reports that workers have quit after only a few days “because the work is hard”.

“There have been cases of workers going AWOL (absent without official leave) and returning to work after a few days.”

Others just do not return, he added.

Ding said employers are forced to show restraint and not rush into taking disciplinary action against errant employees as employers need the workers.

“They can’t dismiss the employees because they could still help to meet orders, even if they are unreliable.”

Higher pay not the solution

Ding said when the association brought the situation in the labour market to the attention of a minister, the minister’s response was for bosses to offer higher salaries.

“He (the minister) does not seem to be aware that even with higher salaries and increased overtime (pay), we still can’t find people to work.”

On the proposed four-day work week, Ding said his association is vehemently against it in the current situation.

“If we don’t work for one day, it will mean we will fall behind in the production schedule.”

The labour situation is such at the moment that Ding said many factories are afraid to accept new foreign orders.

“Young people prefer to work in 24-hour supermarkets and convenience stores than to work in a factory,” Malaysian Bakery, Biscuit, Confectionery, Mee and Kuay Teow Merchants’ Association president Lai Yee Kei said.

“Despite the odd shift hours, it’s easier to work there. The workplace is air-conditioned and it’s not (as) hectic.”

Lai said that in a factory, the production line is continuously running and workers have to be alert to avoid mishaps.

“Young people do not like this kind of work.”

He said that is why his factory and other members of the association are facing a serious manpower shortage.

Lai said workers these days behave like they are emperors.

“You cannot turn down their request when they ask for time off, and neither can you tick workers off for any infringements.

“You worry that they won’t come to work if you do all that,” he said.

“They can afford to just walk out because they can easily find work at another factory.” – July 16, 2022.