KUALA LUMPUR: The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has expressed concern over the government’s plan to “export” skilled Malaysians to Japan, contending that the focus should be on efforts to shore up adequate local supply instead.

       President Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai said as there was no prior consultations or details made available on this potential skill export to Japan, the federation hoped more information on the memorandum of collaboration (MoC) by the Human Resources Ministry could be shared so that the industry would be clear on how the MoC might work.

       “As it stands, Malaysia is currently facing an acute shortage of manpower, especially skilled workers, which is hampering our national economic recovery.

       “The labour shortage has caused work stoppages and under production across the industry.

       “Output has been severely constrained, resulting in the failure to fulfill existing orders and accepting new ones,” he said in a statement yesterday.

       The government recently said it planned to send local skilled graduates and/or eligible skilled workers to work in Japan under a MoC between Malaysia and Japan.

       Soh said the constraints on supply of goods to satisfy the required demand would add further inflationary pressures despite the recent benchmark interest-rate hike by Bank Negara, which was intended to dampen inflation. — Bernama