KUALA LUMPUR – Barbers and goldsmiths in the country are among the sectors still experiencing a shortage of workers, said Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk R. Ramanan.
However, he said his team would not make any announcements on behalf of the Human Resources Ministry but would instead request an explanation from its minister, Steven Sim Chee Keong, on this issue.
“Of course, I have contacted human resources ministry officers through our officials, and they have informed me that there are still 5,000 (vacancies) out of the quota announced that have not been filled,” he said.
He told reporters this after attending the Pongal celebrations and the launch of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (WES), organised by the Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (MAICCI) here yesterday after the matter was raised by MAICCI.
In September, the cabinet agreed to open a recruitment quota for 7,500 barbers, textile workers, and goldsmiths in the service subsector.
This follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement to reopen the recruitment of foreign workers for the three service subsectors, which had previously been frozen since 2009.
Meanwhile, Ramanan also said that WES, which represents women entrepreneurs from various business backgrounds, should not miss out on participating in the programmes and initiatives implemented by the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry, especially for women.
He said it included Program Pemerkasaan Usahawan Wanita, Skim Pembiayaan Ikhtiar, UDA Bizznita, TekunNita, and Successful Women Entrepreneurship Engagement Talent. – January 21, 2024