THE Human Resources Ministry said there is no freeze on foreign worker recruitment, clarifying that the rejection of numerous applications is due to non-compliance with laws.

In a statement yesterday, the ministry said it is committed to ensuring that employers continue to abide by labour laws and guidelines, to check the practice of forced labour.

Over the past two years, 4,434 employers from the restaurant sub-sector applied to hire foreign workers via the Manpower Department’s ePPAx System, and only 1,407 applications, involving 8,552 workers, were approved, said the ministry.

“As of April 2019, 796 applications to hire foreign workers were received. Of this number, 216 applications, involving 1,840 foreign workers, were supported, and 580 applications rejected.

“Of the rejected applications, 517 were turned down because the employers failed to adhere to labour laws, and the remaining 63 because the employers were not eligible to hire foreign workers.” – Bernama, May 18, 2019.