While more stringent vetting procedures will be in place when foreign workers return to Malaysia, employer groups are hoping the government will ease the rules and help reduce the costs, especially for vaccination.
Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) hopes the government will continue to provide the vaccination free of charge with regular testing conducted as part of the employers’ responsibility.
MEF added that since employers will now need to ensure that foreign workers are quarantined upon arrival, bookings for this are to be made after the foreign workers have passed their medical examination.
They will then be issued with a visa with reference (VDR) through the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS). This is expected to increase costs for employers by between RM2000 and RM3000 per worker.
SME Association of Malaysia said they also hoped the process could be expedited and simplified as employers are in desperate need of workers.
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers said they hoped there will be changes to the quarantine SOP for foreign workers who will be brought in, in view of the fact that inbound travellers from April 1 will not be required to quarantine as long as they are fully vaccinated.
-HR HUB
