KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Sin Chew Daily) — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has overlooked the demand for foreign workforce in certain economic sectors, in particular manufacturing and services, when he announced that migrant workers were only allowed to work in construction, plantation and agricultural sectors.

In a statement, the Federation of Malaysia Hardware, Machinery and Building Materials Dealers' Association (FMHMBA) said this policy would affect the operation of manufacturing and services sectors, and have a negative impact on their production as well as competitiveness.

"By allowing foreign workers to resume work in construction, plantation and agricultural sectors only, the recovery of some businesses may be hampered, especially after the RMCO," said the federation.

FMHMBA said the cost of hiring a foreign worker – including salaries and various fees imposed – are lower than hiring a local worker. Businesses have no choice but to hire foreign workers in order to sustain their business operations.

Factories are also hiring foreign workers instead of locals as there are too many public holidays that may adversely affect their production.

"Besides this, there are many jobs which are difficult, dirty and dangerous in nature, which only foreign workers are willing to take up..

"It is simply impossible not to hire them," it said.

The federation said it supported the government's initiative to cut our dependence on foreign workers in stages without causing negative impact on productivity and competitiveness of the sectors involved.

The federation also commended the measures adopted by the government to allow businesses to defer their loan repayments.

It also urged the government to clearly specify the standard operating procedures for COVID-19 given the fact the federal and state governments have been inconsistent in the adoption of the same set of SOPs. As a result, enforcement authorities such as the police and health officers have not been using the same set of SOPs when carrying out their duties. This has created confusion among the local business operators.