Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has instructed the Ministry of Human Resources to immediately process the first 15,000 foreign worker applications to ease labour shortages and support Malaysia’s economic activity [1, 2, 3]. Communication Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said, "This is to fulfil the labour needs of the sectors concerned and, in turn, support economic activity in the country" [1].
The directive follows a Cabinet Committee decision on June 30, 2026, to place the One-Stop Centre (OSC) for Foreign Worker Management under the Ministry of Human Resources, effective immediately [1, 3]. The formal Cabinet decision on July 1 confirmed that the ministry would assume full responsibility for managing the OSC to improve governance and better meet industry manpower demands [1, 2, 3].
By July 6, the Ministry of Human Resources had received 22,476 foreign worker quota applications from 548 companies [2]. Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil emphasized the prime minister’s request, stating, "The prime minister has asked the Human Resources Ministry to immediately process the first 15,000 foreign worker applications. This is to meet workforce requirements in the sectors involved and directly support economic activities in the country" [2].
The expedited processing aims to strengthen recruitment governance and address immediate manpower shortages in key economic sectors. The Ministry’s assumption of full control over quota management is intended to improve efficiency in the foreign worker recruitment process [2].
The government’s next step is to complete the processing of the initial 15,000 applications without delay to alleviate labour gaps affecting Malaysian industries [1, 3].
