Hiring directly from immigration depots will cut out intermediaries, lauds group

The National Association for Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia (Nawem) has welcomed the Home Ministry's plan to allow employers to hire undocumented migrant workers held at immigration depots.

In a statement, Nawem workers training bureau chairperson Nurizan Hussin said that the plan would eliminate the involvement of intermediaries in the process of hiring foreign workers.

"The direct hiring from the depot can ease the government's financial burden in managing about 15,000 undocumented migrants nationwide," she said.

Nurizan added that the move would enable a comprehensive collection of data from all the migrants in the depots after they go through a stringent filtering process by the authorities such as the police, the Immigration Department and the Health Department.

"Therefore, only some of those in the depot are offered jobs after it is confirmed that they are without criminal records and free from the risk of infectious disease."

Nurizan also noted that the rehiring move is a safer alternative to fulfil the need for foreign workers in reviving the economy.

Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin had said that undocumented foreign workers detained at Immigration depots may get a chance to be hired legally.

From January to June 15, the Immigration Department had picked up 17,226 undocumented migrants in its operations.

A total of 243 employers were also arrested for employing foreign workers illegally.

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