CNI News
30 August 2022
Increasing number of Myanmar nationals want to work in Malaysia in spite of rarely receiving job offers from the host country, the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation told the CNI.
All overseas employment agencies are facing the similar situation and the number of Myanmar nationals has been higher than the levels before the COVID-19 pandemic, Director Ko Nway Ko Ko Lin of Pwint Phyu Aung Agency told the CNI.
He said, “Before the pandemic, the demand for Myanmar workers was high and it was difficult to find enough of them. I think one reason is that Malaysia has raised the minimum wage to 2,500 Ringgit. The number of Myanmar nationals who want to work in Malaysia has increased. Many people are seeking information about working in Malaysia. In the past, there were a large number of job offers but we did not have enough workers. Now, we have many applicants who want to work in Malaysia but we have no job to offer them. We had to refuse them as there was no job offer. Unlike Thai companies, Malaysian counterparts hired only 10 to 50 workers.”
A construction site in Malaysia.
Most Malay businesses that hired Myanmar workers are small ones like factories, workshops and restaurants but electronic companies employ hundreds of migrant workers.
Most of the people who seek information to work in Malaysia hail from small towns.
In the past, agent fees for a worker who wanted to work in Malaysia stood at US$ 850 but the fees have now risen to about US$ 1,000 due to appreciation of the US dollar. Service fees vary from agency to agency.
As the number of people who want to work in Malaysia has increased, some fake employment agencies are cheating them, Ma Hay Man, who sends workers to Malaysia, told the CNI.
She said, “I am especially worried about young people from small towns. As they are so enthusiastic about working in Malaysia, they are the targets of fake agencies. They should try to go to companies rather than agencies. If they don’t want to go to the companies, they should study the background history of their agents thoroughly because there are a large number of cheatings especially online. They shouldn’t trust agents whom they meet online.”
A glove factory in Malaysia.
Currently, agencies are mostly sending workers for old job offers which were made before the pandemic as well as a few of them for new job offers, which have been approved by Malay authorities.
Recently, Malaysia has adopted a new policy for migrant workers, U Zaw Min Min, the chairman of the Malaysia Workers’ Affairs Committee of the MOEAF told the CNI.
“When Malaysia resumed hiring foreign workers, there was a large number of Myanmar workers who wanted to go to the country. If Malay businesses hire a large number of workers, all of them will be able to go to Malaysia. However, Malay authorities are scrutinizing workers very strictly. They take the size of businesses and the number of workers they need into consideration. Previously, the Ministry of Home Affairs decided the matter, which has now been transferred to the Ministry of Human Resources. As everything has changed, there are some delays. It will take time to make a big change,” he said.
Those who want to work in Malaysia do not have to speak the Malay language but they are required to have valid passports and three-time vaccination certificates.
