Foreign Workers’ One-Stop Centre Now Under MoHA’s Purview
Are You Hiring?
Find candidates in 72 Hours with 5+ million talents in Maukerja Malaysia & Ricebowl using Instant Job Ads.
Hire Now
The Ministry of Home Affairs now oversees the one-stop centre for hiring international workers. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR) continues to supervise the one-channel system (OCS) for acquiring domestic workers.
Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar made this announcement on Wednesday (December 21) at a news conference. He said that the one-stop centre is now under the Ministry of Home Affairs and the OCS is now under MOHR.
In June, the former minister of human resources, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, stated that the one-stop centre had been moved from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the MOHR in accordance with the custom in many other nations.
FMM's reaction
The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) issued a statement on Wednesday expressing worry about rumours that the one-stop foreign worker management system might fall under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The federation said in a statement that it was "shocked and concerned" by social media rumours that placing the one-stop centre and OCS procedures for processing foreign workers under the Ministry of Home Affairs was being discussed.
HR Minister's assurance
However, Sivakumar assured that the OCS used to hire domestic employees will continue to be governed by the MOHR. In his opinion, he believes that what is more important is the outcome of whether employers can hire enough foreign workers or not.
He said it does not matter if the government is placing OCS under MHR or the Ministry of Home Affairs and that the real problem is how they will address the matter.
FMM wants MOHR to continue overseeing FWCMS
According to FMM, the industry wants confirmation that the MOHR would continue to oversee the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS).
The federation said that the MoHR is the umbrella organisation that oversees the planning, management, and development of the nation's human resources through its other departments and agencies.
FMM added that MoHR is the most suitable and appropriate ministry to undertake the management of foreign worker matters in Malaysia in accordance with its overall charter to ensure the smooth operation of the country's labour market.
Labour management responsibilities
FMM further stated that the MOHR is currently signing memorandums of understanding with source countries on behalf of the government due to its role and obligations in labour management in the nation.
Flip-flopping on policy would be detrimental to the nation's industry, particularly given the current economic climate, it added. It said that the point of contact would be the MOHR and not any other ministries.
According to FMM, the MOHR received control of the management of foreign workers in February when the nearly two-year recruiting moratorium caused by Covid-19 was lifted.
FMM said that since MOHR has only recently taken over the management of foreign workers and has invested all necessary resources to support the services, returning the control to the Ministry of Home Affairs would cause significant disruptions along the entire processing system.
The FMM isn't the only industry body to advocate for a single ministry to control the country's supply of foreign labour. To ensure effectiveness and reduce expenses associated with hiring foreign employees, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) requested the government to keep the OCS under the control of the MOHR on Tuesday.
According to MEF, the scarcity of foreign workers has been gradually improving since the MOHR was granted control to run and oversee OCS in April.
What is FWCMS, and what does it do?
The FWCMS is a comprehensive platform that links all parties involved in managing migrant workers, including businesses, Malaysian and international recruitment firms, governments, and healthcare facilities.
The FWCMS's four key components are security, health, compliance, and welfare.
The FWCMS is made to help users and stakeholders with compliance and regulatory processes relating to migrant workers, from selection to recruitment to ongoing management to monitoring and ensuring that employees return safely.
The FWCMS platform would also record the workers' fingerprints, faces, and passports. The information would then be transmitted in real-time to the Immigration Department for security clearance to confirm whether they are qualified to work in Malaysia. If Malaysia blacklists prospective foreign workers, the system will notify them, and they will not be able to complete medical screening.
Once the workers are deemed fit to work in this country, the employers can apply for their visas. This process only requires the workers' passport numbers as all their information, including passports, medical records, and photos, would already be in FWCMS' system.
The FWCMS system has a feature that takes the workers' fingerprints in their home country, which prevents impersonation incidents once they arrive in Malaysia.
The Malaysian government's demand that foreign workers be insured before arriving is also a component of the FWCMS. In a way, it removes the instances of insurance premium forgery that have happened in the past.
Visit the HR Library to acquire all relevant HR resources.
Contact here for more information on hiring employees.