"Allowing refugees to work legally will boost economy say employers' body, economist", 1 May 2019

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) backs the idea of hiring refugees legally...adding that it can reduce the country's dependency on foreign workers.

MEF executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said...it would be a cheaper alternative for employers compared with bringing in foreign workers.

...He said some programmes had been implemented with the co-operation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) where refugees were allowed to work in some companies.

"As such, we have them working in the plantation sector. But I would say that the project has failed miserably because I believe the refugees are not keen on working in isolated areas."

He said most of the refugees preferred to work in and near towns.

...Economist Barjoyai Bardai agreed that refugees should be allowed to work legally in Malaysia, adding that the country could make use of them to enhance food security.

...Meanwhile, the executive director of the North-South Initiative, Adrian Pereira, said Malaysia was not a safe place for refugees, adding that many of them were abused by many actors even under the new government.

"The reality is they are already working for survival. We should allow them to work for their security, not to further exploit them in our free market economy. That's very exploitative rational used to justify working rights for them," he said.