The future of Malaysia’s dependency on Indonesian foreign labors: findings from key informants’ interview

Farah Nuraishah Ab Malek Zaki

QR Code Link :
Type :	article
Subject :	HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Main Author :	Farah Nuraishah Ab Malek Zaki
Additional Authors :	Mohd Na’eim Ajis Mohd Fitri Abdul Rahman
Title :	The future of Malaysia’s dependency on Indonesian foreign labors: findings from key informants’ interview

Place of Production :	Tanjong Malim
Publisher :	Fakulti Sains Kemanusiaan
Year of Publication :	2022
Corporate Name :	Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris

Abstract : Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris

International migration has become major contemporary change in this era, especially in both developed and developing countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysia’s transformation in preparing the country to become industrial based economy has shaped the country as one of the favorite countries in Southeast Asia region for foreign labors migration. The highest migration for job seeking came from neighboring country especially Indonesia. The migration of Indonesians not only drive by the job opportunities but supported by the history of community mobility, geographical proximity, existence of social networks and the similarities of languages, religions and cultures. The arrival of Indonesian labors to Malaysia is a constant necessity for both countries. This paper aims to predict Malaysia’s dependency on Indonesia’s foreign labors in the future. This paper employs qualitative approach in gathering data using five key informants from various authorities involve in the recruitment and management process of foreign labors in Malaysia. It is found that geographical location and job offers are among the pulling factors for the Indonesian foreign labors to choose Malaysia as working destination. Employers in Malaysia too prefer Indonesian foreign labors to reduce their operational cost. The weakness of Malaysian policies and law also does not help in reducing the number of Indonesian foreign labors. Thus, it can be concluded that it is a tough effort to make Malaysia reduce its dependency on Indonesian foreign labors in near future

References

Anderson, J. T. (2021). Managing labour migration in Malaysia: foreign workers and the challenges of ‘control’beyond liberal democracies. Third World Quarterly, 42(1), 86-104.

Asgar Bixby. (2012). Isu regulasi dan masalah pelaksanaan dalam pengiriman tenaga kerja Indonesia ke Malaysia: Perspektif Indonesia (2002-2011). Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Azizi, S. (2018). The impacts of workers' remittances on human capital and labors supply in developing countries. Economic Modelling, 75, 377-396.

Bachtiar, N., Fahmy, R., & Ismail, R. (2015). The demand for foreign workers in the manufacturing sector in Malaysia. Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, 49(2), 135-147.

Berita Harian, (2021, September 11). Sektor pembinaan kekurangan pekerja 3D. Berita Harian. https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2021/09/862658/sektor-pembinaan-kekurangan-pekerja-3d.

Bernama, (2021, April 12). Rakyat tempatan tak minat kerja 3D, kerajaan kaji ambil semula pekerja asing. Free Malaysia Today. https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2021/04/12/rakyat-tempatan-tak-minat-kerja-3d-kerajaan-kaji-ambil-semula-pekerja-asing.

Bustami, R., & Wekke, I. S. (2016). Migrants In Nusantara: Indonesian and Malaysian Perspectives. Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS), 1(2), 63-74.

Campbell, D. T. (1955). The informant in quantitative research. American Journal of sociology, 60(4), 339-342.

Crabtree, B. F., & Miller, W. L. (Eds.). (1999). Doing qualitative research. Sage publications.

Devadason, E. S., & Meng, C. W. (2014). Policies and laws regulating migrant workers in Malaysia: A critical appraisal. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 44(1), 19-35.

Del Carpio, X., Özden, Ҫ., Testaverde, M., Marouani, M., Nilsson, B., & Wagner, M. (2015). Foreign workers in Malaysia: labour market and firm level analysis. Malaysian Journal of Economic Studies, 52(1), 1-19.

Dodgson, J. (2018). Managed Dependency Part II: The consequences of demand-driven migration in Singapore, ScholarBank@NUS Repository, 1-18.

Elias, J. (2013). Foreign policy and the domestic worker: the Malaysia–Indonesia domestic worker dispute. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 15(3), 391-410.

Handayani, D. W., Hadiawan, A., & Dwijono, A. T. (2015). Dinamika Kerjasama Indonesia dan Malaysia tentang penempatan dan perlindungan Tenaga Kerja. SOSIOLOGI: Jurnal Ilmiah Kajian Ilmu Sosial dan Budaya, 17(1), 31-41.

Hassan, W. S. W., Omar, M. A., & Abdullah, A. R. T. (2016). Issues in Malaysia-Indonesia Relations: 2000-2010. Jurnal Kinabalu, 22, 1 – 22.

Ho, P. H. (2016). Labour and skill shortages in Hong Kong’s construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 23(4), 533 – 550.

Ismail, R., & Yuliyusman, F. (2014). Foreign labour on Malaysian growth. Journal of Economic Integration, 657-675.

Jajri, I., & Ismail, R. (2010). Impact of labour quality on labour productivity and economic growth. African Journal of Business Management, 4(4), 486-495.

Kassim, A. (1997). Illegal alien labour in Malaysia: Its influx, utilization, and ramifications. Indonesia and the Malay world, 25(71), 50-81.

Kaur, A. (2014). Plantation Systems, Labour Regimes and the State in M alaysia, 1900–2012. Journal of Agrarian Change, 14(2), 190-213.

Kubiciel-Lodzińska, S., & Maj, J. (2017). The Tendency of Entrepreneurs to Employ Foreigners: Labour Immigrants in the Opinion of Employers. Central and Eastern European Migration Review, 6(2), 176-191.

Kumar, N., Stern, L. W., & Anderson, J. C. (1993). Conducting interorganizational research using key informants. Academy of management journal, 36(6), 1633-1651.

Kunaseelan Muniandy. (1996). Hubungan Malaysia - Indonesia 1957 - 1970. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Mahadi, S.A.R.B.S. (2014). Indonesian labour migration to Sabah: changes, trends and impacts. Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, School of Social Sciences Discipline of Geography, Environment and Population, The University of Adelaide. Semantic Scholar.

Maksum, A. (2017). Kebijakan pemerintahan Jokowi terkait tenaga kerja indonesia di malaysia dan implikasinya terhadap hubungan dua negara serumpun. The Journal of Islamic Studies and International Relations, 2, 33-62.

Malaysian Immigration Department (2021). Accessed from https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=125&bul_id=OWFsV1NpZ2EzbHVjdjVRS09KMi9IQT09&menu_id=U3VPMldoYUxzVzFaYmNkWXZteGduZz09

Malaysian Immigration Department (2018). Accessed from https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=125&bul_id=OWFsV1NpZ2EzbHVjdjVRS09KMi9IQT09&menu_id=U3VPMldoYUxzVzFaYmNkWXZteGduZz09

Marhani, M. A., Adnan, H., Baharuddin, H. E., Esa, M. R., & Hassan, A. A. (2012). Dependency of foreign workers in Malaysian construction industry. Built Environment Journal (BEJ), 9(1), 39- 50.

Fauziyah, M. (2015). Indonesian diplomacy towards Malaysia on Indonesian migrant workers faced death penalty 2010-2013. Undergraduate Thesis, State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta. Semantic Scholar.

Massey, D. S., Arango, J., Hugo, G., Kouaouci, A., Pellegrino, A., & Taylor, J. E. (1993). Theories of international migration: A review and appraisal. Population and development review, 431-466.

Massey, D. S., Durand, J., & Pren, K. A. (2015). Border enforcement and return migration by documented and undocumented Mexicans. Journal of ethnic and migration studies, 41(7), 1015-1040.

Mei, L. (2006). A Study on Indonesian Migrant Workers in Malaysia. China and Malaysia in a Globalizing World: Bilateral Relations, Regional Imperatives, and Domestic Challenges, 177.

Mohd Na’eim Ajis. (2015). Pembuatan dan Pentadbiran Dasar Pekerja Asing di Malaysia Tesis PhD. Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Mstar, (2016, February 16). Terima Realiti Belia Tidak Minat Bekerja Sektor 3D – KJ.

Mstar. https://www.mstar.com.my/lokal/semasa/2016/02/16/terima-realiti. Mstar, (2016, Mei 12). Empat Sektor Dibenar Ambil Semula Pekerja Asing. Mstar. https://www.mstar.com.my/lokal/semasa/2016/05/12/empat-sektor-pekerja-asing.

Nakahara, Y. (2017). Foreign Laborsers: Status and Problems. In International Labors Mobility to and from Taiwan (pp. 69-99). Springer, Singapore.

O’reilly, K. (2015). Migration theories: A critical overview. In Routledge handbook of immigration and refugee studies (pp. 49-57). Routledge.

Palel, N. S. M., Ismail, R., & Awang, A. H. (2016). The impacts of foreign labour entry on the labour productivity in the Malaysian manufacturing sector. Journal of Economic Cooperation & Development, 37(3), 29.

Phillips, L. W., & Bagozzi, R. P. (1986). On measuring organizational properties of distribution channels: methodological issues in the use of key informants. Research in Marketing, 8(1), 313-369.

Raghu, A. (2014, April 28). Labour crunch hurts Malaysian palm oil growers as Indonesians stay home. Reuters. Accessed from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palmoil-labour/labour-crunch-hurts-malaysian-palm-oil-growers-as-indonesians-stay-home-idUSBREA3Q0P320140427

Sa, T. (2019). A Study of Legal and Illegal Indonesian Migrant Workers in Malaysia and Their Problems: Finding a Solution from the Violence and Protecting Their Rights. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 6(11), 133 – 149.

Saravanamuttu, J. (2013). The Case of the Oil Palm Industry in Malaysia. The Palm Oil Controversy in Southeast Asia: A Transnational Perspective, 120.

Skoczyńska-Prokopowicz, B. (2018). Foreign labour migration of Ukrainians to Poland: statistical research from the perspective of Ukrainian studies. Zeszyty Naukowe. Organizacja i Zarządzanie/Politechnika Śląska. 196 – 204.

Spaan, E., & van Naerssen, T. (2018). Migration decision-making and migration industry in the Indonesia–Malaysia corridor. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(4), 680-695.

Suyanto, B., Sugihartati, R., & Hidayat, M. (2020). Bargaining the Future: a Descriptive Study of the Lives of the Indonesian Illegal Migrant Workers. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 21(1), 185-204.

Suziana, M. Y., Ibrahim, N., Siti Rahyla, R., & Razlini, M. R. (2017). The Local People Perceptions on the Economic Impacts of Indonesian Workers in Rural Areas: A Case Study at Rural Johor. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 25(1).

Tapsir, S. H. (2017). FOREIGN LABORS IN MALAYSIA: SELECTED WORKS. Ministry of Higher Educatio

Tan, P. L., & Gibson, J. (2010, March). The impacts of temporary emigration of lower-skilled females on sending households in Indonesia. In Sixth Australasian Development Economics Workshop, Sydney.

Triandafyllidou, A., & Maroukis, T. (2012). Migrant smuggling: a social business. In Migrant Smuggling (pp. 195-205). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Weijde, E. V. D. (2014). Diplomatic Involvement with Labors Migration: The role of Dutch embassies and consulates in Turkey and Morocco regarding the guest worker migration to the Netherlands 1960-1975. Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, Leiden University.

Wong, D. (2006). The recruitment of foreign labour in Malaysia: From migration system to guest worker regime. In Mobility, labour migration and border controls in Asia (pp. 213-227). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

This material may be protected under Copyright Act which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials.
You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research.

Back to previous page