PETALING JAYA: The 2016 government ruling that Malaysians form at least 80% of the workforce in manufacturing companies by the end of this year has officially been postponed to December 2024.
In a letter to all the related associations, international trade and industry ministry (Miti) deputy secretary-general (industry) Norazman Ayob said the original 80:20 ruling was a condition in the factory licences issued from 2016 with the deadline being this December.
“Now that the manufacturers are facing serious problems getting locals despite several efforts by the companies, it is affecting their operations and competitiveness.
“Therefore, Miti has now set December 2024 for manufacturing companies to comply with the 80:20 employment ruling,” he said in the letter sighted by FMT.
Norazman said the government would like to remind the manufacturers to intensify their efforts to get more Malaysians in their workforce and, at the same time, take more initiatives to automate their processes.
FMT reported last week that Miti would be deferring the ruling by two years after manufacturing companies complained that recent applications to employ foreign workers had been held back because of the 80:20 requirement.
In view of this, 56 business associations met Norazman to discuss problems faced by Malaysian industries in the recruitment of migrant workers.
Some companies said it was near impossible to attract Malaysian workers to manufacturing companies, let alone keep them, especially at factories that were not air-conditioned.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/07/22/8020-employment-ruling-deadline-now-at-end-of-2024/