MALAYSIA: MIGRANT WORKERS MAY FACE UNEMPLOYMENT

Описание: (13 Jan 1998) Eng/Mand/Bahasa

In the best of times, they streamed into Malaysia by the thousands to do the work that the more affluent locals shunned.

Now, with the economic crisis causing the shedding of jobs, the migrant workers have become a burden.

Malaysia recently said it may have to expel more than half of the 1.8 million foreign workers - most in construction and the services sectors - to ensure jobs for locals.

Almost 80 per cent of foreign labour in Malaysia is employed in the construction industry - the high growth sector in the early nineties that is now grinding to a halt.

Indonesian worker Mariadi is among thousands that will be out of work next month when the housing project he is working on is completed.

But he and his friend Suriadi would rather not go home to Indonesia they feel they would have even worse job prospects there.

SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa)
"Although the money here has lost its value, so has the money in
Indonesia. So there's no point going home. It amounts to the same
thing. If Indonesia's economy is in better shape, maybe I'll consider going back."
SUPER CAPTION: Suriadi

Many of these workers face a dilemma. They want to remain and work in Malaysia but don't wish to be forced by the government into jobs and conditions that are unfavourable.

The Malaysian government is giving migrant workers the option of working in plantations and manufacturing - industries that have the potential for foreign earnings.

Then again, it is doubtful if the workers can fit into plantation work or even whether the industry can absorb the 2 million of them.

SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa)
"If wages in the plantations are comparable, I'll work there. But if not, I will return to Indonesia."
SUPER CAPTION: Mariadi

Other migrant workers dominate the retail and hotel industries or as cleaners in restaurants and super markets.

But their work permits won't be renewed when they expire in August this year.

Malaysia might then see a mass exodus of workers forced to return home - only to overburden their home countries, already steep in economic troubles and struggling with rising unemployment.

But some Malaysians support the government's move to repatriate the guests who, not so long ago, were welcomed with open arms.

They reason that it's only right to protect locals first.

SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
"I feel that for those workers who have completed their jobs, repatriating them is a good solution. With no jobs left, how will
they survive here? I'm afraid they will turn to crime. These workers
are a potential time bomb."
SUPER CAPTION: Tan Thin Lon, Building Contractor

But one worry remains: whether industries can hope to attract young Malaysians, pampered by a decade of growth and prosperity, to fill the positions vacated by the migrant workers.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Malaysians are not going to go for low paying jobs. With the inflation, they will definitely expect high paying jobs, definitely expect safer jobs and cleaner jobs and this will be the new demand that will grow if they want to get into these sectors. This where employers will be confronted with the issues."
SUPER CAPTION: Irene Fernandez, Director of Tenagnita (worker
rights group)

The Malaysian economy has plummeted in the past six months, with the government revising growth rates for the year from 9% to 4%.

Like the rest of Asia, its currency has also been battered, losing almost 50% of its value against the U-S Dollar.

The plight of foreign workers is just one of many problems thrown up in the fall-out from the financial crisis crippling Asia.


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