THE Human Resource Ministry has approved a total of 541,315 quotas for the recruitment of migrant workers as of September 26, of which 436,613 have paid the levy.

The ministry said taking into account the existing 1.3 million migrant workers and the approved quota, the number has almost met the industry’s demand for migrant labour.

It said the requirement is for 1.8 million migrant workers in Malaysia, which was a record.

In a statement today, the ministry said that there are 1.3 million migrant workers in the country currently.

At the same time, more than 612,000 migrant workers have registered and passed the Safety and Health Assessment in source countries, while 228,321 people or 37.3%, have received approval for visa with reference from the Immigration Department and are currently waiting to arrive.

The ministry said a discussion had been held with industries and was informed that industries such as the plantation sector, which had been given quota approval, would not bring in the migrant workers all at once.

“The recruitment will be carried out in stages according to the needs and plans of employers because they have a period of up to 18 months to bring in migrant workers after the levy payment is made,” it added. – Bernama, October 1, 2022.