Local manufacturers are turning to technology to reduce dependence on cheap foreign workers.
With the government applying pressure on them to improve the treatment of foreign workers in the face of international criticism, the cost of employing foreign workers is going up.
So, manufacturers are taking various measures to cope, from greater use of automation to moving operations abroad, according to a report in the Nikkei Asian Review (NAR).
The report said Top Glove, the world’s leading maker of rubber gloves, for instance, was taking measures to reduce its 7,000 foreign workers – about 70% of its payroll.