Better wages needed for laborers

V.K. Chin, The Star, Asia News Network, Selangor, Malaysia

Malaysia will always be short of labor because the people are choosy about jobs.

This attitude has resulted in a million jobs that are left unfilled in the plantation, construction and manufacturing industries.

Such vacancies will have to be filled by foreigners or else these sectors will not be able to operate properly.

However, the school leavers are not the only ones to blame, as the employers too must share some of the responsibility.

The lack of appeal in certain industries is due to wages and conditions of work.

The plantation industry, for example, is at the bottom of the scale because most of the jobs are located in the rural areas.

Previously, the majority of the workers were from the Indian community but the younger generation has shown scant interest in staying behind to take over from their parents.

They prefer the bright lights of the cities and unless the pay is more attractive and the living conditions better than what they have endured during their growing up years, they will leave at the first opportunity.

This sector will have to depend on imported labor for a long time to come unless it is prepared to spend more money on technology thus lessening its reliance on labor.

It is not that their products are doing badly but their desire to ensure greater profits for their shareholders is greater, which is fair enough.

So they prefer to recruit foreign but cheaper workers instead to push up their profitability.

But they will have to continue to face labor problems and so long as they do not resort to employing illegal workers, they will be left alone to do their own thing.

As the estates are located in remote areas, it is difficult for the immigration officers to monitor the situation and it is so easy for such illegal immigrants to play hide-and-seek with the enforcement personnel when such raids are conducted.

However, even if the planters should decide to improve on their wages and incentives, not many Malaysian youth may be tempted to work in such isolated areas, as they prefer the comforts and convenience of urban life.

Many of them may prefer to be unemployed rather than to take up such unglamorous jobs where they will have to remain as ordinary laborers with no career prospects whatsoever.