PETALING JAYA: Measures must be taken to attract locals to take up jobs left behind by illegal migrant workers.
Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan (pix) said recent events have shown that locals are not averse to handling such work.
He cited a May 4 report saying that 1,200 locals had applied for jobs at the Selayang market after it received a directive to hire only Malaysians.
“This shows that Malaysians are willing to take up such jobs if they come with the right incentives,” he said yesterday.
He was responding to a report that 1,368 illegal immigrants were detained by the Immigration Department near the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market on Monday.
The report also stated that illegal migrant workers and Rohingya refugees were paid RM50 to RM60 a day for an eight-hour shift, compared with RM100 for locals.
A check yesterday showed that traders were still facing a shortage of workers, prompting many to woo locals by offering to pay for their Covid-19 tests.
Shamsuddin said more locals could be attracted to unpopular jobs if they were simply rebranded.
“One example is how people show more interest in a job when it is called ‘chef’ instead of ‘cook’ or ‘tukang masak’.
“Although there is not much difference in pay, the word ‘çhef’ is perceived to be more glamorous.
“The same can be done with security guards if locals are given added responsibilities such as first aid response and are trained accordingly.”
Shamsudin said locals could also be paid more if employers were willing to invest in technology.
“The government needs to support small and medium enterprises that invest in technology.”
He also commended the government for cracking down on illegal immigrants.
“If we don’t send the right message to illegal immigrants, more will come and their numbers will increase, causing social problems where they operate, taking opportunities away from locals.”
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