PUTRAJAYA, Aug 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has directed the Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma) to immediately process the first 15,000 foreign worker applications to address labour shortages in key sectors and support Malaysia’s economic activities.

Communications Minister and Madani Government spokesperson Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said the move was aimed at meeting workforce demand across affected industries.

“This is to fulfil the labour needs of the sectors concerned and, in turn, support economic activity in the country,” he told a press conference after the Cabinet meeting today.

Prior to this, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan announced that Kesuma had assumed full responsibility for managing the One-Stop Centre (OSC) for Foreign Worker Management with immediate effect, following a Cabinet decision on July 1.

He said the move was intended to strengthen governance in the recruitment of foreign workers while ensuring the labour needs of industry were met more efficiently and systematically.

The decision, made at the first 2026 Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers meeting on June 30, placed the OSC under Kesuma with immediate effect. — Bernama