The ongoing digital registration of migrant workers in Sabah has recorded more than 107,000 foreigners so far amid steps taken by the state to improve oversight of its foreign labour force.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said 107,717 individuals had been enrolled into the Sabah Integrated Management System for Foreign Workers and Non-Residents (SWIMS) as of March 2025.
In a written reply to Tungku assemblyman Assaffal @ Samsul Kamal P. Alian, Hajiji said the system covers both workers and their dependents, including those without valid documentation.
“Of the total, 63,718 were listed as workers, while 43,999 were recorded as dependents.
”However, only 34,548 of those registered workers were confirmed to have legal status and an additional 4,714 registered as dependents.
“Meanwhile, 29,170 of those registered workers are without valid documentations and an additional 39,285 as dependents,” in the written reply sighted by the BorneoVox.
Assafal had earlier questioned the data during the recently concluded Sabah Legislative Assembly sitting and Hajiji had ordered for a written reply.
Assafal believed to have been obtained the written reply on Saturday (April 26, 2025).
The SWIMS programme is part of a wider push by the Sabah government to compile biometric and employment data across all sectors, in a bid to tackle long-standing issues surrounding the management of foreign workers in the state.
In a recent statement, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan had earlier warned that high registration fees risked discouraging foreign workers from signing up, potentially sabotaging the state’s effort to build an accurate labour database.
He reminded that the registration was originally intended to be free to encourage voluntary participation and transparency.
Kitingan also stressed that priority must be given to registering all foreign workers first before any enforcement or status decisions are made, noting that proper documentation benefits both the workers and Sabah’s economy.
The SWIMS system, which uses biometric and facial recognition technology, is also intended to pave the way for a structured annual renewal system for foreign workers in Sabah. – April 26, 2025
