KUCHING – The Ministry of Human Resources will study the foreign worker management systems used in Sabah and Sarawak to determine whether they can be adapted for implementation in Peninsular Malaysia.

Its secretary-general, Datuk Azman Mohd Yusof, said both states have established more organised and efficient mechanisms, particularly through the involvement of state governments in the approval process, as reported by The Borneo Post.

“From what I have observed, the management of foreign workers in Sabah and Sarawak is more systematic and easier to implement because the state governments are involved in the approval process.

“God willing, we will study the positive aspects of the systems in Sabah and Sarawak to see how they can also be adapted in Peninsular Malaysia,” he told reporters after the Trade Union Affairs Programme 2026 Grant Handover Ceremony in Kuching on July 2.

Azman said the initiative forms part of a broader review of Malaysia's foreign worker management framework involving Kesuma and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

He said managing foreign workers in Peninsular Malaysia is more challenging due to the larger workforce, wider range of source countries, and diversity of employment sectors.

However, he expressed confidence that the federal government's recent decision to restructure the foreign worker management system would improve coordination and make the process more strategic and efficient.

“We hope these improvements will bring positive benefits to the country's economic sector,” he said.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the federal government had agreed to restructure the country's foreign worker management system following a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers.

Under the restructuring, the One Stop Centre (OSC) for Foreign Worker Management will be placed under Kesuma's supervision to strengthen coordination and streamline approval processes.