Home Ministry warns of tough action on businesses flouting rules on foreign workers

The Home Ministry will direct the immigration department to conduct enforcement on business sectors not permitted to hire foreign workers as front liners, in particular food and beverage, and retail outlets. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the enforcement would be focused on employers who took advantage of illegal immigrant workers. He said the department would concentrate on major towns in Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru which were the main places where illegal immigrant workers were involved in the two sectors. So far, foreign workers were only allowed to work in the kitchen area, he added. "However, with the current scenario, most employers hire foreign workers to work in the front line as cashiers or waiters," said Nur Jazlan. He said as of February 28, a total of 12,000 illegal immigrants and 2,000 employers registered with the migrant workers' resettlement programme. – Bernama, March 5, 2016.]]>