Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has urged the government to ensure that any new minimum wage increase applies only to Malaysian workers, warning that extending it to foreign employees would further raise business costs.

Speaking at a press conference in Parliament today, he said employers, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), were already concerned about rising labour costs.

“Make sure it's only for Malaysian workers, not for foreign workers. Because you only increase the burden.

“And lately I've received many calls from many employers that are worried,” said the former finance minister.