ISSN: 2222-6990
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The Covid-19 pandemic has had a great impact on the palm oil industry in Malaysia. This includes the issue of retrenchment of foreign workers. Sarawak is the main oil palm cultivation state in Malaysia which is affected by this problem. The land area is vast but faces the problem of labour shortage. Retrenched foreign workers will be replaced by local labour. However, the average local is less interested in working in this industry. Most smallholders prefer to use imported labour which is considered more productive. Therefore, this study aims to identify some strategies to increase local labour utilization in oil palm agriculture in Sarawak. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the country has stopped the recruitment of new foreign workers entering to work in Sarawak since March 2020. This study uses a qualitative method in conducting research on local labour and the strategies to increase local labour utilization in oil palm agriculture in Sarawak. The results show that among the strategies that can be used currently are, to get the local community involved, increase the level of mechanization, raising the minimum wage, youth Involvement, and empower the training centre. The implication of this study is that stakeholders in Sarawak can take immediate steps to ensure that oil palm production is not severely affected.
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In-Text Citation: (Saad et al., 2021)
To Cite this Article: Saad, S., Zaimah, R., & Lyndon, N. (2021). Use of Local Labour in Oil Palm Agriculture. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(9), 205–215.
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