The Human Resources Ministry will send its officers to factories nationwide to gauge the impact of the American economic slowdown on workers in the manufacturing sector.

Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn said employers are directed to report to the ministry about retrenchment exercises, voluntary resignations and vacancies available on a monthly basis.

Nonetheless, he said, "It is a voluntary compliance on the part of the bosses. However, our officers will go to factories and meet human resources managers to learn the real situation.

"There is no cause for worry, though. We still have a situation where vacancies are more than job-seekers," Fong told journalists after attending the weekly Cabinet meeting today.

The US recorded the lowest growth in the manufacturing sector last December. The slowdown is expected to hit the Malaysian manufacturing sector as the US is one of the biggest investors in the country.

Retrenchment figures

According to figures recorded by the ministry, 27,504 workers have been retrenched this year with the highest figures recorded in Penang (5,752), followed by Selangor (5,542) and Kuala Lumpur (4,759).

The highest number of workers retrenched were from the manufacturing sector (15,051), followed by the financial, insurance, real estate and business services sectors (4,134) and agriculture, forestry, livestock and fisheries sectors (2,515).

Asked if the figures are reflective of the real labour situation in the country, Fong said, "Yes."

He said that the US economic slowdown has not really affected Malaysia that much as it (Malaysia) is still recording a high economic growth.

"The government is doing everything it can to stimulate the economy and to make sure that proposed projects are implemented accordingly," he added.

According to the ministry, vacancies available last week numbered 3,747 compared with 2,601 workers seeking jobs.

However, Fong said the figures are under-represented because employers are not required to report vacancies to the ministry.

Tripartite meeting

Fong also told journalists that his ministry will hold a tripartite meeting tomorrow with employers and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) with the hope of forging a better relationship between all parties.

Outstanding labour issues include the setting up of the Workers' Retrenchment Fund, speedy recognition of unions by the Director-General of Trade Unions and a shorter process for Industrial Court cases stuck at the Court of Appeal.

The retrenchment fund was proposed by MTUC four years ago and is expected to help workers during hard economic times, if implemented.

However, employers rejected the scheme, prompting MTUC to propose that the ministry initiate it instead.

Fong said, a working paper on the matter will be discussed at length tomorrow when the two parties present their own research.