Community concerns on migrant labour settlement issues in Malaysia

Abstract

Migrant labours have contributed in boosting Malaysia’s economy especially in the development sectors where they occupy most of the 3Ds jobs in the labour market. Most of the migrant labours are either placed in cramped dormitories shared between four to five peoples in a room by their employer or stayed in their own makeshift- ghettos. Most often, their living condition is poor and unhygienic which post high risks of contagious disease to circulate within. As their number increase, so does numbers of their settlement within the locals’ neighbourhood and it has prompted the NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) phenomenon among the community. Although the authorities did come out with measures by segregating the migrant labours from the locals’ neighbourhood, the NIMBY phenomenon still remain, in which the locals are against the development of the said settlements near to their neighbourhood. In accessing the concerns that perceived by the locals, literature review is conducted to examine the locals’ acceptance towards the migrant labour’s presence near their neighbourhood is reviewed. Notably, the NIMBY phenomenon may occur due to various reasoning that associate with the locals’ main concerns. Furthermore, the NIMBY phenomenon occurrence towards the development of migrant labour settlement is also reviewed. This paper explores the issues of migrant labour settlement in Malaysia and addressed the problems from multiple perspectives. The findings will contribute insights to the authorities about the issues and discovering the appropriate measures in addressing the problems regarding the migrant labour settlement.