Foreign workers and labour segmentation in Malaysia's construction industry

Abstract

One of the profound changes to have taken place over the last two decades in the construction industry in Malaysia is the emergence of foreign site operatives as an indispensable component of the labour force. This research shows that they have been exposed to some degree of discrimination at the hands of local employers. Labour segmentation has prevailed as a consequence of variability in country-specific traits. Schisms between the foreign nationals and local workers and between the various foreign nationals operate to the employers' advantage in that greater control can be exerted. Labour violations have always been an inexorable feature of the Malaysian construction industry, with little prospect of reform. As there seem to be no signs of the dependence on foreign workers attenuating, future waves of migrant workers can expect to be subjected to the same employer treatment, and hence labour segmentation.