LETTERS: There may be a shortage of labour from Bangladesh due to the political instability in that country, at least in the short term.
Recruitment agencies in Bangladesh may encounter operational difficulties in an unstable environment, leading to fewer recruits and deployment delays.
Subsequently, Malaysian employers may need to raise wages and improve working conditions, thereby increasing labour costs and potentially impacting their competitiveness and growth.
These disruptions could have a ripple effect, slowing down projects, reducing production output and straining our economic growth.
Thus, we may need to minimise the impact.
One strategy is by sourcing more workers from other countries for the construction, manufacturing and plantation sectors.
The government should also strive to make local jobs more appealing to Malaysians. In the long term, this will reduce foreign labour dependence in those sectors.
For the moment, efforts to support Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, such as by extending work contracts and enhancing social services, could stabilise the workforce and maintain productivity during uncertain times.
DR NIVAKAN SRITHARAN
Faculty of Business, Design and Arts, Swinburne University of Technology, Kuching, Sarawak
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times