V Sivakumar says the NTI has the potential to set benchmarks for industry players and be the gold standard for regional counterparts to emulate.

The unemployment rate for October remained at 3.6%, 0.3% higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 3.3% in February 2020.

Many young people switch jobs on a regular basis, in what some employers have described as a trend over the past few years.

Many of them spend years paying off their debts, even if it means overstaying their permits.

The number of unemployed people decreased to 630,600 in June 2022 from 637,700 the previous month.

Employers are having a hard time finding workers, even though they offer attractive salaries.

The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers says employers who tried to recruit workers through previous programmes faced all manner of challenges and costs.

Human Resources Minister M Saravanan says this will only encourage more undocumented migrants to enter the country.

Affected workers include those who earn an income by doing odd jobs, as well as companies with fewer than five workers and those facing huge losses such as the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Amid the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, experts say it's time for a change of mindset.

Questions arise over cost, productivity and the payment of wages if the conventional work week is trimmed by a day.

Thailand's big exporting industries such as food and rubber production rely heavily on migrant labour.