The halt in inflow of foreign workers into Malaysia due to pandemic has created a big impact to its business and its clients

by NUR HANANI AZMAN / pic credit: manforce.net

MANFORCE Group Bhd, one of the leading foreign worker solutions providers in Malaysia, believes its latest venture — Malaysians Development Uplift Programme — will further strengthen its business.

The programme intends to empower young Malaysians with the necessary skills and enhance sustainable growth with skilled workforce through basic industrial training.

Manforce Group MD Datuk Paul Wong Boon Ming (picture) said the halt in inflow of foreign workers into Malaysia due to the Covid-19 pandemic has created a big impact to its business and other market players, as well as their clients.

“Likewise, it also creates an opportunity for us to provide our clients with new solutions which enable our company to raise our full-year forecast because we do not expect demand to decline anytime soon.

“We believe there are always opportunities within every crisis. Not all industries are badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, some will survive the storm better than others,” he told The Malaysian Reserve in an email interview.

The Malaysians Development Uplift Programme started in February with a planned investment of RM10 million. The programme is targeted for those aged 18 to 30, who may be school leavers, unable to continue their studies due to lack of money, unemployed or jobless or among the bottom 40% income group from rural areas with limited employment opportunities.

Manforce Group will sponsor these individuals to participate in a six-month practical training course, complete with allowances, accommodations and a certificate to certify the completion of the training course — fully conducted by INSAN Development Academy under the certification of School of Professional and Continuing Education and ProCel Faculty Economy and Business Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

Jobs will be guaranteed to those who complete the training. However, these individuals are also given the options to either start working or continue their studies to further develop their leadership skills.

“We’re witnessing the increasing disconnect between the educational system in school and the needs of today’s students.

“The experience they gained from school is different from the outcome expected by companies. As such, we collaborated with the local academies to customise the syllabus, aiming to shift the present experience of a youth to the acquisition of assets for tomorrow,” Wong added.

He said, overall, there are a lot of employment opportunities in Malaysia.

One of the factors leading to high unemployment rate in Malaysia is because some may feel unsure and uncertain of where to look for jobs or to find the resources needed to be equipped with the necessary skills, he added.

This is where Manforce Group steps in to bridge that gap — for employers who are in need of people to execute the labour tasks, and for individuals who are in need of a job or to have (at least) the minimal skill levels for that particular work.

The programme now has 700 students and is on the road to create 5,000 job opportunities for Malaysians by the end of 2022.

Wong said not all of the 700 students will be graduating at the same time, as it’s also depending on their enrolments.

“Some 92% are in the manufacturing sector — mainly in assembly line such as assembling, feeding, packaging, storing and monitoring production process, while 8% are in the service sector — customer service, waiter/waitress, and cook/ baker.

“We have business contract agreements with companies from sectors such as electronics, food and beverage, and glove manufacturers that are willing to undergo this initiative with us. It also depends on the students, whether they choose to continue working or to further their studies upon completion of the programme,” he added.

As the country is in the middle of a health and economic crisis, Wong said Manforce Group is not immune to its impact on its financial performance.

“We believe our latest venture into this programme, together with our years of experience in workers management solutions, we are able to ride through this storm,” he added.

Manforce Group recorded RM36.15 million in revenue for the first half ended March 31, 2020, compared to RM35.52 million the corresponding half year.

“During the six-month period under review, our revenue is mainly derived from foreign worker management and manual labour services which amounted to RM18.3 million or 50.7% of total revenue and RM17.8 million or 49.1% of total revenue respectively.

“The board of directors believe the market demand for workforce remains consistent in certain sectors during the period of Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, especially for sectors that require 3D jobs, namely dangerous, dirty and difficult,” it stated in its bourse filing recently.

Manforce Group remains active in client outreach in order to gain a better understanding of the workforce requirement of employers and to provide the suitable solutions that suit their respective requirements.