KUALA LUMPUR — The Human Resources Ministry has indicated it is open to adopting a new foreign worker recruitment system developed by Bestinet Sdn Bhd, with discussions on its implementation mechanism currently underway.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said the ministry is still fine-tuning details before bringing the proposal to the Cabinet, but stressed there are no immediate concerns over the system.
“We are still in discussion. After that, I will table a paper to the cabinet. At the moment, I see no issues with adopting Bestinet as the system developer,” he said during the Concorde Club session at Wisma Bernama.
The proposed platform is being positioned as a direct hiring solution that allows employers to recruit foreign workers without relying on intermediaries, who have long been criticised for imposing high fees.
Bestinet, a Malaysian IT firm, is best known for developing the Foreign Worker Central Management System (FWCMS), which has been used in managing migrant worker intake.
Separately, Ramanan also called on the private sector to follow the government’s lead in adopting work-from-home (WFH) arrangements, pointing to cost-saving benefits for both businesses and employees.
He said reducing daily commutes could ease operational expenses while also lowering the government’s subsidy burden.
“This also saves the government on subsidies, which can be channelled to other deserving causes,” he said.
Ramanan suggested companies consider allowing employees to work remotely three days a week, but noted that Mondays and Fridays should remain office-based due to their importance in the work cycle.
“These are crucial days in the week. The other days are fine,” he said.
The federal government began rolling out its nationwide WFH policy yesterday, targeting civil servants based in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and all state capitals who live more than 8km from their workplaces.
The policy, introduced in response to global energy pressures linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East, excludes those in critical sectors such as security, defence, healthcare and education.
WFH implementation varies across states, with those observing Sunday as a rest day applying the policy from Tuesday to Thursday, while Friday-holiday states adopt it from Monday to Wednesday. – April 16, 2026