Migrant Indian Workers in Malaysia’s F & B Industry: Challenges and Prospects
摘要
Migrant labour to Malaysia in modern times has streamed in by waves from several countries and into various industries. In the past few decades, the food industry has witnessed an influx of unskilled and semi-skilled labour from a number of countries including India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Some labour recruitment is through government sanctioned agreements while other workers slip in unprocessed. Beginning with a literature review of recent writings, this chapter discusses challenges, status, and prospects for Indian nationals working in Malaysian food and beverage (F&B) industry, specifically in the Indian restaurants or coffee shops in major cities. Data for this study was collected through desk review, face-to-face interviews with the workers and employers of Indian restaurants, and a textual analysis of media coverage on the subject in Tamil newspapers. An analysis through critical interpretation of the data was employed to narrate this sojourn of the Indian migrant worker in the Malaysian food industry.