The Sarawak Business Federation (SBF) wants the state government to review how the Foreign Workers Transformation Approach (FWTA) is implemented, with particular attention to smaller firms’ compliance costs. Its president, Jonathan Chai, said industries have different staffing needs and operating conditions, while SMEs may have fewer resources to absorb additional costs. He called for continued engagement with businesses so requirements remain practical without weakening the government’s workforce-management objectives. Chai made the appeal at SBF’s anniversary dinner at the Unifor Complex in Kuching on October 17. The request is for an implementation review; it is not an announcement that FWTA has been suspended or that employers’ requirements have changed. He also welcomed the planned Ease of Doing Business Reform Blueprint, saying simpler procedures, quicker approvals and better coordination between agencies should translate into less administrative work for businesses. For employers, the distinction matters: the federation is asking for changes, rather than setting out a new compliance regime.

The government has announced a RM2,000 monthly minimum wage from June 2027, but the Budget 2027 measure is not a pay rise taking effect this month. The Finance Minister set out the increase from RM1,700 when presenting the budget on October 9. Micro, small and medium enterprises with annual sales below RM50 million are to be exempted to give them time to adjust their business models. The announcement did not specify an end date for that exemption. For Kuching employees and employers, the date and the business category both matter. The announced RM300 increase is not a promise that every worker will move to RM2,000 immediately, or that every employer falls under the new rate. Implementation rules will need to spell out the coverage and obligations. A separate income-framework reform would introduce a RM2,500 minimum starting wage for semi-skilled positions and graduates. The budget speech did not attach the June commencement date to that separate measure. Jobseekers should therefore keep the two figures distinct: one is the announced general minimum-wage rate, while the other concerns the proposed starting-pay framework for specified workers.

Competition for staff is becoming a challenge for Kuching hotel operators as the city’s accommodation market expands. The Everly Lhesson Kuching says it is recruiting Sarawakians, taking on both experienced hotel workers and newcomers who need training. The hotel’s vice-president described the competition for workers in interviews published on October 4. Kitchen recruits, as well as other operational staff, need time to adapt to a hotel’s requirements and procedures. Meanwhile, operators are seeking demand beyond holiday stays. The Everly Lhesson is developing seminar and function business. The operator behind voco Kuching said it retained substantial meeting and event facilities after considering whether to reduce that space. Corporate travel, government-related stays, weddings and family visits bring different kinds of business. For local workers, the interviews also distinguish two routes into hotel employment: transferring existing experience or entering with further training needed. No vacancy list or salaries were announced in the interviews. The voco operator said its current priority was establishing the hotel and understanding guests before considering further expansion.

Sarawak employers are being told that non-resident worker applications now take about 60 days to process, down from 191 days. The figure is a reported improvement, not a promise that every application will be approved within two months. Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department for Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring Datuk Gerawat Gala gave the update at an industry session in Miri on Sept 30. The Foreign Worker Transformation Approach, or FWTA, brings recruitment procedures onto a digital platform involving both state and federal agencies. For businesses planning staffing in Kuching and elsewhere in Sarawak, the important distinction is between a shorter processing period and a completed approval. Different agencies still have their own procedures, and the platform is being introduced in phases. Domestic helpers are currently being addressed, with expatriates to follow. Gerawat asked employers to raise application problems with FWTA or the Immigration and Labour Management Unit, ILMU, so they can be referred to the relevant agencies. A dedicated email channel was raised by industry representatives, but the announcement did not provide an address or confirm its launch. The next practical test is whether the shorter turnaround holds across those remaining phases. Employers should not treat the 60-day figure as a new guaranteed deadline, or assume that the proposed email channel is already available.