Malaysia’s plan to give refugees its worst jobs amounts to a human rights ‘facade’: activists

A proposal to allow UN-registered refugees to work – but only in ‘dirty, dangerous, difficult’ jobs – reveals the state’s lack of empathy over their plight, advocates say

These 3D jobs span sectors including manufacturing, mining and construction, and draw a low uptake among locals due to the poor pay and social stigma

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A volunteer teacher gives a basic English lesson to Muslim Rohingya refugees at a slum on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in 2020. Currently, Malaysian law bars registered refugees from accessing formal employment. Photo: AP

Published: 5:30pm, 8 Nov 2023Updated: 5:36pm, 8 Nov 2023

A proposal to allow UN-registered refugees to work in Malaysia but only in “3D” jobs – dirty, dangerous and difficult work – has been criticised by rights advocates as an unethical “facade” that reveals the government’s lack of empathy over their plight.

Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its Protocols, and currently has no legislative or administrative framework for dealing with refugees.

That is despite the country being home to an estimated 180,000 refugees recognised by the United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR – over half of them being Rohingya Muslims forced out from Myanmar. Instead, Malaysian authorities lump them together with undocumented migrants and processed as such by the country’s immigration authorities.

At present, Malaysian law also bars registered refugees from accessing formal employment, forcing them to seek employment in the informal sector, which exposes them to abuse and exploitation.

But on October 30, the Human Resources Ministry told parliament it was considering opening up formal employment opportunities to the country’s refugee population, but would only limit them to the jobs Malaysians don’t want to do.

These jobs span sectors including manufacturing, mining and construction, and draw a low uptake among locals due to the poor pay and social stigma. Instead, they are mainly dependent on migrant workers.

“The plan is being scrutinised so that it will not pose competition to local talents and does not become a pull factor for foreigners to misuse UNHCR status,” Special Functions Minister Armizan Mohd Ali said in a written response to parliament in response to a question.