Malaysia's decision to ring bells

Nepali workers will be directly affected when the doors of Malaysia, which have better earnings compared to the Gulf countries, are closed. Decreasing the destination of foreign employment means affecting the remittance inflow, which is currently increasing at a record level. Only last year, 290,000 Nepali workers went to Malaysia and more than 500,000 are currently working there. The closure of such an accessible destination is a tragedy in itself, but it has given a warning that the international labor market is not a reliable option, any destination can be closed any day.

Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs has set a deadline for the employer company to bring in the necessary migrant workers in preparation for stopping the entry of migrant workers from May 18 (May 31). The Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu has also formally informed the visa centers that are allowed to take online visa applications. Malaysia has adopted a policy of retaining only 15 percent of its total workforce from foreigners.

Malaysia has a labor force of 17 million, according to which the maximum number of foreign labor force is 2.55 million. As of last February, the number of foreign workers has exceeded 21,30,000. In Malaysia, employers have not been able to provide enough work since the economic recession hit the manufacturing and service sectors. Many workers are forced to work for the minimum wage of 1500 ringgit as employers cannot provide 'overtime' work. The number of unemployed people is increasing. There are also large numbers of undocumented (undocumented) workers in Malaysia. In order to manage this, it has implemented a policy to allow easy return to the country until next December. It is not yet decided when Malaysia will ease the labor supply or stop it forever.

There is no country as easy as Malaysia for ordinary workers. Malaysia has given employment to Nepalis in manufacturing, agriculture and service sector. Citizens of countries other than Nepal have not been taken to the security sector. After the zero cost labor agreement between the two countries in 2075, Malaysia has been giving priority to Nepal. Malaysia became the first destination for Nepalese workers last year when job opportunities in the Gulf were shrinking. Malaysia's closure means options for workers are narrowing. Its weight falls on the Gulf region. Even in the Bay Area there are no jobs available as per our requirement. Multinational companies in Malaysia have started implementing zero cost policies. Malaysia has a better minimum wage than other countries for ordinary workers. The decision to stop the entry of migrant workers has come while the process of renewing the labor agreement between Malaysia and Nepal is progressing.

As the number of Nepalis going for foreign employment is increasing, the remittance inflow is increasing at a record level. In the first 6 months of the current financial year, 7 trillion 33 billion remittances have been received. In the last financial year, remittances of 12 trillion 20 billion rupees were received, which this year is expected to surpass. Even if other sources of economy such as exports, tourism, foreign aid, grants and loans are relaxed, the country's economy has been saved from becoming a crisis due to strong remittance flow. But the decision on the labor stoppage in Malaysia has warned that this will not always be the case.

Labor contracts with other destination countries can also be terminated at any time, labor supply can be stopped or reduced. Therefore, when one destination is closed for the time being, it is a matter of searching for another reliable destination. Employment opportunities are created within the country by encouraging investment in industry, speeding up development, and promoting tourism. A policy should be taken to increase economic activity within the country by gathering foreign aid, grants and concessional loans through effective diplomatic 'lobbying'. If other components of the economy can be strengthened, there will be no need to worry about foreign employment being affected or remittances decreasing.