The government has approved 500,000 work permits for the construction sector following the recent mass deportation of illegal immigrants which crippled the building industry, the official Bernama news agency said today.

Deputy Human Resources Minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad said 300,000 of these workers had already entered the country.

"We hope the entry of these workers, especially those from Indonesia, will fill up the void created following the enforcement of the Immigration Act," he said.