Malaysian Builders Protest at Foreign Worker Ruling

• 29 May 2017
• Construction Focus
• 1213 Views

A new initiative by the Malaysian government for construction firms to pay an increased levy for every foreign worker has resulted in protests from the industry.

As of 1 January 2017, construction companies were required to pay a fee of USD413 per worker, up from USD213. Employers of the estimated 900,000 foreign workers believe this will extract a further USD447m from the industry, making it less competitive.

At a January 9 press conference, Foo Chek Lee, President of the Master Builders Association Malaysia argued that the money should be spent “to adopt new technologies and mechanisation to improve and increase productivity and thus reduce dependency on foreign labour in the long-run,” according to the Malay Mail Online.