Malaysia's Tourism Sector losing employees to other Countries

Ngiam Foon says the best have been lured to work in China, Singapore, Europe and the Middle East

Malaysia’s tourism sector is the latest to feel the pain of losing some of its best and brightest to employers in other countries.

The solution to this problem might be to hire English-speaking workers from abroad, said Matta president Ngiam Foon.

Some of the best workers in the hospitality and tourism industry are being poached to work in the Middle East, China, Singapore and Europe.

Part of the lure was higher wages, said Ngiam, who was re-elected as president over the weekend.

"If left unchecked, this will eventually pose a problem, especially with the economy heavily dependent on tourism spin-offs," he said.


The outflow, which has been growing, was among concerns raised at the Matta annual general meeting here on Saturday.

He said although no data was available on how many Malaysians had left the country to work elsewhere, the problem was serious.

Malaysians are in much demand overseas.

"Our people adapt easily, speak good English and are hard workers," he said.

With graduates turning to other sectors for careers, finding replacements was getting tougher, Ngiam said.

"We are looking at getting people from the Philippines as they speak good English," he said.



Source : NST
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