IPOH: Low salary is believed to be one of the reasons why employees in this country are selective over jobs, leading to the nation having to rely on foreign workers.
Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran said the lack of Malaysians working in certain sectors is not solely because they are too picky, but because the salaries are too low.
He said employers should not compare the salaries of foreign workers and locals, adding that this problem must be solved in order to reduce reliance on foreign workers.
"This (comparison) is like comparing apples to oranges.
"I think the rakyat has the right to choose the best job they want, just as how they choose to get married. The problem is that there are many jobs today that don't pay well, thus its failure to attract applicants," Kulasegaran told reporters after visiting the Buddha Mekprasit Temple in conjunction with Wesak Day, here, today.
The newly-minted minister was asked to comment on the ministry's measures to overcome the lack of interest amongst locals to work in certain sectors, resulting in the reliance on foreign workers.
Last Thursday, Kulasegaran said the reliance on foreign workers will be looked into, including reviewing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2016 involving 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers entering the country.
He said the government wanted to reduce the reliance on foreign workers and every aspect will be reviewed to bring the numbers down.
Meanwhile, Kulasegaran who is also Ipoh Barat parliamentarian said the ministry will also review the role of the middle-man who bring in these foreign workers as they incur a high cost to the country.