Foreign talent necessary, says Indian barbers group

Free Malaysia Today

Malaysian Indian Hairdressing Saloon Owners Association says barbers produced by local academies are more inclined to start their own businesses.   Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/10/03/foreign-talent-necessary-says-indian-barbers-group/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Rn6xEV Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2OCwH8a  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2OKJbc6 Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3cpbWKK Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/2VUfOrv Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3B1e8lN Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/39dBDbe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTNews #IndianBarber #MigrantWorker #BarberShop #ForeignTalent

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:03 Going to an Indian barber is an experience.

00:05 From a speedy haircut to a precise shave

00:07 with razor sharp blades and a piece de resistance,

00:10 a relaxing head massage with Ayurvedic oil

00:12 that just melts your stress away.

00:14 But while customers leave looking refreshed

00:16 and feeling relaxed,

00:17 the same cannot be said for Indian barbers.

00:20 A hiring freeze imposed in 2009

00:23 bar the recruitment of foreign workers

00:24 leading to a manpower shortage.

00:27 But reinforcements may be on the way.

00:30 Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim's recent announcement

00:32 that Putrajaya will partially lift the freeze

00:34 means barbers can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

00:38 An estimated 7,500 migrant workers

00:41 are set to arrive to work at goldsmiths,

00:43 barbers and textile shops.

00:45 (speaking in foreign language)

00:49 (speaking in foreign language)

00:53 The partial lifting of the freeze

01:00 is music to the ears of barbers like Rajiv Bhai,

01:03 originally from Tamil Nadu in India.

01:05 He hopes there will be no further restrictions

01:08 on the intake of foreign workers for this sector.

01:11 And it is easy to understand why.

01:13 Getting locals to work as barbers is challenging.

01:16 Deva, a barber in Brickfields says,

01:19 few Malaysians want to work in barbershops.

01:21 To attract local talent, economist, Bajoy Bardai says,

01:24 barbershop owners cannot run away

01:26 from paying competitive salaries.

01:28 - There must be a higher wage

01:30 because the minimum wage is 1,500

01:34 and the minimum level of our tax day is 2,200 ringgit.

01:39 So the wage must be above that,

01:44 at least maybe 2,500 ringgit, 3,000 ringgit.

01:48 And they must reach that within the next five years,

01:52 all barbers should be earning 5,000 ringgit a month,

01:56 for example.

01:57 - Higher wages will lead to increased business costs,

02:00 which could result in pricier haircuts.

02:03 But Bajoy believes that a price hike

02:05 should not significantly impact consumers,

02:07 since most people get their haircut once every six weeks.

02:10 On the other hand, M. Meena Kumar,

02:13 the Assistant Secretary

02:14 of the Malaysian Indian Hairdressing Saloon Owners Association

02:17 holds a view that even with higher wages,

02:20 locals might still be reluctant to work in the sector.

02:23 He points out that many local barber academy graduates

02:26 prefer to start their own businesses

02:28 rather than work in barbershops

02:30 that typically offer a basic wage of 1,500 ringgit,

02:33 excluding overtime.

02:35 - With less than 20,000, anyone can open a barbershop.

02:39 - For now, it seems we've got a temporary fix

02:42 for the barber shortage in Malaysia.

02:44 But the broader debates surrounding Malaysia's reliance

02:46 on migrant workers remains unresolved

02:48 and is likely to persist.

02:51 Jason Desmond and Amir Fakhri, FMT News.

02:54 (upbeat music)

02:57 (upbeat music)

Category

Transcript

Recommended