Malaysia also tightens hiring rules for foreign workers

Fewer Filipinos may be able to find work abroad as more countries are enforcing stricter regulations on hiring foreign workers.

After South Korea, Malaysia may also require Filipinos and other foreign workers to pass a written test on basic Malaysian laws, language and culture prior to employment, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday.

Kuala Lumpur-based labor attaché Josephus Jimenez said the new policy is applicable to foreign workers who will arrive in Malaysia starting Nov. 1.

Those who entered earlier are obliged to attend an orientation course from their employers, he said.

"Foreign workers would be required to undertake a written test and only those who will pass would be able to secure a certificate of eligibility and working visa," Jimenez explained.

Domestic helpers, however, are exempted from the new hiring requirement, he said.

The labor official said the Malaysian government came up with the new policy to help foreign workers avoid problems arising from their ignorance of Malaysian laws and culture as well as their inability to understand the basic language there.

"The new policy specifically intends to make foreign workers understand the basic Malaysian language, help foreign workers adjust to the culture, religion and social norms in Malaysia," Jimenez said.

He added the policy would prevent Filipinos from violating Malaysian laws and enable them to have their rights protected.

Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said the Philippine government would submit to Malaysia a list of accredited training centers that would conduct induction courses and tests for Filipino workers seeking employment in Malaysia.

Earlier, South Korea announced plans to implement a new policy that would require Filipinos and other foreign workers to possess basic Korean language skills. Last March, the government of Japan began enforcing new and stricter hiring requirements for Filipino entertainers.

Local recruitment agencies expressed fear that the new policy would result in a drop of hiring of Filipinos abroad.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Asian workers building a luxury development in Dubai demonstrated yesterday against months of unpaid wages, highlighting the plight of low-paid expatriate laborers in the oil-rich Gulf region.

In Kuwait, the minister of social affairs and labor Faisal al-Haiji has proposed the introduction of a minimum wage for hundreds of thousands of expatriate workers, a newspaper reported yesterday.

Al-Qabas newspaper quoted Haiji as saying he has submitted recommendations to the cabinet calling for a 50-dinar ($170) minimum monthly wage for foreigners hired by private companies involved in government contracts. — Mayen Jaymalin, AFP