The tourism sector is facing labour shortage.
According to Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Malaysia’s tourism sector is now short of 15,000 to 20,000 workers.
She claimed the number was calculated using data from national tourism organisations.
She did point out, however, that the labour shortage problem is not limited to the tourism industry and affects all other industries in the country.
The administration, she claims, is now attempting to address the problem, including by bringing in foreign labour.
The Tourism Ministry has informed the Cabinet about the shortage of labour, and the government has provided permission to bring in foreign workers.
According to the tourism minister, the issue has just been approved and will go through many steps.
Nancy went on to say that, in order to overcome the labour shortage, firms should hire local workers.
She expects the labour issue to be remedied in a month or two, especially now that the Covid-19 epidemic is transitioning to endemic phase in the country.
Meanwhile, she stated that the number of tourists entering the country this year has surpassed 500,000 and that she expects this number to rise by the end of the year.
