MELAKA, Feb 17 — Priority for Malaysian workers in fulfilling job opportunities in the country is one of the elements to be reinforced in the National Human Resource Policy (DSMN) and the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (RMK-12).

Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Mahfuz Omar said that in realising the aspiration, employers should have Malaysia’s interest at heart by giving priority to local workers instead of continuing to claim that they were unwilling or uninterested to work in the sectors in question.

As such, he said employers should also pitch in to find solutions to attract the interest of more locals to seek work in the less favorable employment sectors, especially in the 3D sectors, referring to dirty, dangerous, and difficult.

"Employers need to think about enabling Malaysians to want to work with them because, if we notice, many Malaysians who are working in neighboring country, Singapore, are in the 3D sectors.

"There are certainly reasons why they are said to be reluctant to work in the 3D sectors such as the salary and environment factors and other issues being highlighted,” he said when met by reporters after attending a Town Hall session with the Ministry of Human Resources, in Ayer Keroh here today.

A total 306 stakeholders in the South Zone comprising representatives of government agencies, workers, trade unions and employers and civil society organisations attended the fifth town hall session.

Mahfuz said this was among the feedback and suggestions submitted during the discussion session to enable his ministry to make improvements in preparing the direction of RMK-12.

‘‘It has also received feedback from stakeholders on the progress of issues related to core business in the labour sector including various scopes at the level of the Ministry of Human Resources in terms of employment, social protection, health and safety and so on.

"From this session, among other topics which were also interesting were the issues of female workers, the disabled (disabled), as well as mental health which were highlighted for improvement,” he said. — Bernama