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[ 21-09-2019 ]
Aminolhuda: Johoreans working in Singapore help boost local economy
Unofficial figures show that some 300,000 Malaysians commute daily from Johor to Singapore to work. — Filepic
JOHOR BARU: The state government is looking at the positive angle when it comes to the high number of Malaysians, including Johoreans, working in Singapore.Johor education, human resource, science and technology committee chairman Aminolhuda Hassan hoped that others would also look at the issue this way.
He said thousands of Malaysians who commute daily to the republic to work but live in Johor, especially in Iskandar Malaysia, have contributed significantly to the state’s progress.
“We have no problems with Johoreans working in Singapore or even in other parts of the world as it benefits the state too,’’ said Aminolhuda.
He said Johoreans working in Singapore had helped to boost the local economy as the money earned there and spent in the state had contributed to developments.
Aminolhuda said the strong Singapore dollar compared with ringgit for the past several years was a boon for Johor’s economy as locals working in the republic have strong purchasing power.
“They have disposable income to buy properties and cars and this will definitely benefit developers, retailers and businesses in the state,’’ he said.
He added that it was a well-known fact that Johor and Singapore were economically interdependent on each other, resulting in a win-win situation for both.
Johor South SME adviser Teh Kee Sin said this has been a challenge for manufacturers in Johor Baru, Pasir Gudang, Kulai and Senai hiring locals as they preferred to work in Singapore.
“There is nothing we can do about it. We definitely cannot stop them from working over there,’’ he said, adding that locals preferred to work in Singapore due to the exchange rate.
Teh said at the end of the day, financial gains remained the main factor and thousands of Malaysians were willing to spend hours commuting to Singapore daily to work.
On a positive note, he said local companies, especially in Iskandar Malaysia, would benefit from skills and experience of workers who decided to come and work here.
Unofficial figures show that some 300,000 Malaysians commute daily from Johor to the island republic to work, while another 400,000 Malaysians work and live in Singapore. — By ZAZALI MUSA
