The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has initiated talks with the Prison Department to hire prisoners on parole to fill the industry’s manpower shortage while waiting for the day migrant workers can return to the country. Its president Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai said employers and industries are keen to employ parolees due to the labour crunch.

He said that addressing the shortage of manpower is vital for economic growth and maintaining the country’s export competitiveness which is the key to economic recovery and boosting investors’ confidence. “We are also exploring collaboration with the Human Resource Development Corporation regarding its programmes for inmates’ training and placement,” Soh was quoted as saying.

He said FMM has no qualms with hiring parolees and provided the Human Resource Ministry permits it and can facilitate their compliance with domestic and international labour laws.

“We look forward to having further engagement with the relevant authorities to get information on the terms and conditions involved to recruit parolees.

“Specific guidelines are required by employers to ensure compliance with all the related law,” Soh added.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin had announced last Tuesday that 80 per cent of the 10,000 prison inmates are expected to undergo the Parole System Programme, Licensed Released of Prisoner Programme and Resident Integration Programme placed by domestic industries to fill void left by foreign workers.

However, NST also reported the Malaysian Federation of Workers president Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman saying that not all vacancies could be filled by parolees as it would depend on their skills or how quickly they could learn those skills.

Syed Hussain reportedly said the parolees should not be seen as a temporary stand-ins for migrant recruits, but could become an additional labour source and urged the government to look at broader markets.

He suggested the government should tap the industry early while the inmates are still serving their jail sentences.

Syed said this will also help the inmates learn the required skills before starting their jobs.

Malaysian Association of Hotels chief executive officer Yap Lip Seng told the NST that hoteliers are ready to accept parolees who are willing to work and meet the basic requirements.

However, he also said that the hotel industry need to understand the mechanisms and the details of parole programmes first.

“The idea is good and can be further improved with training incorporated into the detention system even before they are released under parole.

“Hospitality programmes can be offered to prisoners as enrichment programmes and training to expose them to the industry as part of their detention terms,” Yap was quoted as saying, adding that it can help the hotel industry identify suitable recruits among the parolees.

Malaysia, which is heavily reliant on foreign labour, has been facing a massive worker shortage since the pandemic began due to international border closures and lockdown measures.

The National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia president Low Kian Chuan said that the number of migrant workers in the country was down to 1.1 million last year from 1.9 million in 2018.

The dearth of workers has been felt sharply with even the retail industry as well as those in the food and beverage sector cutting down on their operating hours, partly because of a staff shortage.