KAJANG, Nov 5 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today said the Home Ministry (KDN) has frozen new foreign worker quotas in line with the 2.5 million cap set by the Ministry of the Economy by December.

He said that currently, Malaysia has 2.41 million registered foreign workers, leaving a margin of about 90,000 before reaching the cap that month.

“This ceiling is based on the availability of 17 million workers in the country, a figure determined by the Ministry of the Economy.

“According to the ministry, the policy of employing foreign workers should not exceed the set limit of 2.5 million and given that the current figure is only (approximately) 100,000 below this threshold, KDN has decided to freeze the issuance of new quotas for foreign workers since September this year,” he said during the dialogue session at KDN Town Hall here.

He added that the ministry has given instructions to suspend any new demand since September with quarterly reviews to reassess demand, particularly in the five sectors of agriculture, plantations, manufacturing, construction and services.

However, he said, of the five sectors, agriculture and plantations are experiencing labor shortages.

“Despite the freeze, discussions are underway to address the labor shortage in these areas,” he added.

“Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani previously highlighted the need to import workers for these sectors, which are yet to reach the required workforce levels.”

He also said that KDN and the Ministry of Human Resources had agreed to further discuss this issue focusing on verification of manpower requirements by relevant regulatory agencies.

He said agencies must confirm the number of workers required by companies, particularly in the palm oil and rubber industries, before new permits are granted.

Saifuddin further revealed that, if necessary, the remaining 100,000 positions could be filled through existing applications that have not yet been used or through rehiring efforts.