IMPACT – MEDIUM

Malaysia’s Expatriate Services Division has announced that it will require companies to advertise job vacancies to local workers via the JobsMalaysia website before an expatriate’s Employment Pass (EP) application will be considered for approval.

Key Points:

  • The job advertisement must be available in the JobsMalaysia portal for a minimum of 30 days. If there are no successful local hires during this period, JobsMalaysia will issue a confirmation letter called “Surat Perakuan,” which is valid for three months. The Surat Perakuan will take 14-21 working days to be issued.
  • Among other things, this letter will confirm that the company has advertised a job vacancy at JobsMalaysia, and it is allowed to hire an expatriate to fill the job vacancy. The company will then need to upload this letter as a supporting document when applying for an expatriate’s Employment Pass application.
  • The Ministry of Human Resources also advised that companies are required to participate in any career fairs organized by JobsMalaysia and must screen through interviews with potential local candidates before the same job position is being filled by an expatriate.

Additional Information: JobsMalaysia is an automatic online job matching system provided by the Ministry of Human Resources (MoHR), Malaysia which helps job seekers look for suitable job opportunities. The new requirement is part of the government’s initiative to provide more employment opportunities to local workers.

Analysis & Comments: Deloitte is seeking clarification on the implementation date of the job advertisement requirement. The new job advertising requirement may slow the process for companies that wish to hire expatriates in Malaysia. Employers may need to adjust their time lines to account for the additional time.

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