Greater Inclusivity For the Migrant Population In Penang
Malaysia is the largest importer of labour in Asia1. Migrant workers (otherwise known as migrant or foreign workers) in Malaysia, implies a foreigner doing low-skilled work2. They make up roughly 20% of the country’s workforce. Foreign labour helps to fuel economic growth by filling in gaps in the labour market2. Migrant workers concentrate on low-skilled employment, while allowing more Malaysian citizens to focus on higher-skilled jobs.
In September 2019, the Immigration Department, Ministry of Home Affairs stated that there were 1.98 million regular migrant workers employed in Malaysia3. The World Bank, however, estimated a total of 2.96 to 3.26 million migrant workers in 2017, with the vast majority involved in irregular employment or undocumented work. Their demographic includes Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Philippines2.Migrant workers in Malaysia have limited opportunity to move up the career ranks. Additionally, many of them have other employment issues to worry about. Media and NGOs have reported serious labour rights abuses against migrant workers, including exploitation, abuse, and the lack of accountability of employers3. At the end of the day, migrant workers are not protected under labour law. Penang is a major production centre in the global electronics industry, and hub for manufacturing and construction, a popular employment sector for migrant workers2.
Key Issues Affecting The Inclusivity For the Migrant Population In Penang
Better Living Conditions For Migrant Workers
Malaysian doctors identified that migrant workers were living in crowded living spaces with their co-workers with roughly 20 people sharing a 1,000 square foot house4. These workers inhabit the area on rotation based on work shifts with 10 people sleeping there at night and 10 in the morning4. Housing areas are known for not having running water, clean drinking water or good sanitation, in order to save costs, thus promoting the spread of infectious diseases4.
- Other housing facilities that migrant workers live in are containers, decrepit and run-down sheds as well as squalid flats while some have better living spaces4. In 2017, eleven migrant workers were involved in a hillside collapse in Penang, bringing to light their housing conditions being overcrowded, unhygienic and poorly maintained 5.
- The Penang government has acknowledged the problem and have since moved towards building dormitories to accommodate 2,100 rooms with 35,000 beds (the largest in the country)6. Jagdeep Singh Deo, Penang Local Government Committee Chairman, announced the project will commence in Teluk Kumbar. This new dormitory will add to the dormitory in Bukit Minyak that has a current capacity of 6,600 beds and Batu Maung which has 8,500 beds6. A new national minimum requirement for accommodations was provided to migrant employees in 2020 to improve the workers’ living conditions 7.
Keep Migrant Workers Healthy And Safe
A study on migrant workers in Penang showed that the most common form of illness they suffered was from common colds (27.22%)8. One in four had musculoskeletal pain (25.65%), whilst others had indigestion, and stomachaches (18.32%)8. Almost 15% of respondents reported accident-related injuries, mainly skewed towards domestic accidents (77.8%)8. Yet only 54% of these workers sought medical attention when faced with these problems. The study concluded that migrant workers that were frequent users of public transport were more likely to seek medical attention from local hospitals and clinics8.
- Domestic migrant workers (primarily women) are forced to work in isolation in their ‘new home’. Constant reports and media posts of their abuse is consistent with workers being overworked, sexually and physically abused5. In 2015, 261 Nepalis domestic workers died during their employment in Malaysia as a result of poor working conditions, high levels of occupational stress and lack of medical care 5. An increase of 32% of the reported 348 deaths in 20145.
Educate Migrant Workers Labour Rights
Employing workers from foreign nations is a long and expensive process. Interested candidates pay recruitment agencies between RM12,000 - RM18,000 to secure a position. This payment can either be paid upfront or deducted from their wages later4. Various undocumented migrant workers may have to pay more or less than this amount, and often go into debt trying to fulfil the fee4. The majority of employment contracts are written in English, thus many workers are unaware of what they are signing on for9. Unfortunately, these contracts have clauses to ensure the workers cannot obtain other forms of employment. For example, a line in the contract may look something like this: “The Employee shall not change his employment during the contract period and shall not carry or do business without the written permission from the Employer”9.
- Migrant workers have little protection against abuse and may be subject to human trafficking and commonly referred to as modern-day slaves. Working in agriculture, palm oil, construction sites, manufacturing, electronic industries and domestic labour9. In Penang, documented abuse towards Nepali workers included forcing migrant workers to commit to 16 hour days with no days of leave. These workers are also subject to non-payment, sexual assault, workplace injuries, and even death. In many cases, migrant workers are paid below minimum wage5
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Greater Inclusivity For The Migrant Population (coming soon)
Explore Our Sources
- Andaraya (M) Sdn Bhd. (n.d). Working Condition of Foreign Workers in Malaysia.
- World Bank. (2019). Malaysia Estimating the Number of Foreign Workers. (A report from the Labor Market Data for Monetary Policy task).
- A. Engblom. (2020). TRIANGLE in ASEAN Quarterly Briefing Note. Australian Aid.
- B. Mathiaparanam. (2020). A Spotlight on Migrant Workers in the Pandemic. Penang Institute. Crisis Assessment.
- K. K. Soong. (2017). Migrant Lives Matter. MalaysiaKini.
- The Star. (2020). Biggest foreign workers’ dorm may be built in Penang.
- J. Bunyan. (2020). MTUC: Employers have yet to improve foreign workers’ housing, time for govt to take action. MalayMail.
- M. N. N. Htay, L. M. Aye, L. P. P. San, Z. Y. Naing.(2020). Health-seeking behaviour of Myanmar migrant workers in Penang, Malaysia.