Foreign workers recruitment system's e-quota module to be terminated
The Human Resources Ministry is terminating the e-quota module of the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) from the process of recruiting foreign workers.
The e-quota module allows employers to apply for foreign worker quota and the government to verify and approve the application online.
Sources familiar with the matter confirmed that the termination order was issued by the Peninsular Malaysia Human Resources Department (JTKSM) director Asri Ab Rahman in an internal memo dated May 9, which was sighted by Malaysiakini.
In the memo, Asri said due to the formation of the temporary special committee meant to expedite the foreign worker quota approval process, all employers seeking to hire foreign workers are now required to directly attend an interview session at the ministry’s One Stop Centre.
“The formation of the temporary special committee has indirectly changed the process and involvement of the JTKSM in the handling of requests to recruit foreign workers through the e-quota module of the FWCMS.
“Through the Human Resources Ministry’s orders dated May 6, all requests to recruit foreign workers which are still being processed or still under action by the JTKSM, whether at the human resources office branches and the headquarters, must be stopped immediately,” Asri said in the memo.
These orders are to come into effect immediately until further instructions are issued, he added.
It should be noted that subsequent to this report, The Star reported Asri himself denied the memo signed by him was fake and was unaware as to how it got circulated.
The news portal quoted Asri saying "we don’t even know the motive behind this.”
Asri had added that an official statement would be issued to clarify the matter.
On April 12, Human Resources Minister M Saravanan said a total of 179,451 applications to recruit foreign workers in five sectors will be processed and approved within six weeks.
The five sectors are construction, agriculture, plantation, manufacturing and services.
