Technology Crucial To Address Construction Sector’s Foreign Labour Reduction – CIDB
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- Technology adoption will be crucial for Malaysia’s construction industry to offset an annual reduction of about 60,000 foreign workers under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) chief executive Ahmad Farrin Mokhtar said the sector currently employs about 600,000 foreign workers, with the government targeting a 10 per cent reduction annually under the 13MP.
“We cannot replace (them) with local workers because there is no way local workers want to do it. So, those 60,000 (foreign workers) have to be replaced by technology. That’s the only way, and that is the way forward for our industry,” he told reporters after attending the preview of the International Construction Week (ICW) and BuildXpo Malaysia 2026 here today.
Ahmad Farrin said digitalisation was therefore essential to the transformation of the construction industry, with greater exposure to new technologies, construction methods and ways of working needed to accelerate adoption among industry players.
He said technologies such as robotic painting could significantly improve productivity, noting that several companies in Malaysia are already using systems capable of painting up to 4,000 square metres a day.
“So, it’s like 200 units of an apartment can be done in one day using that one robot,” he said, adding that such technology requires input from Building Information Modelling (BIM) to fully realise its productivity benefits.
Ahmad Farrin said although new technologies may involve higher initial costs, the investment could help reduce costs in the longer term while delivering immediate productivity gains.
On Budget 2027, he said the construction industry hoped for a bigger allocation and more projects, noting that the government had adopted a more engaging approach in preparing the Budget by seeking input from industry players.
At the same time, he said the industry had raised concerns over the potential impact of geopolitical conflicts on the construction sector, particularly measures to mitigate rising material costs.
“I think some of the materials, especially petroleum-based materials, are quite affected, but not that much is still affected. Some other materials are still stable.
“Among those that have been stressed to the government are some of the ageing infrastructure that requires proper maintenance and monitoring by the technical agency responsible for it. So, those are the things that have been raised by the industry,” he also said.
Ahmad Farrin added that CIDB had also prepared its own budget proposals for initiatives aimed at supporting the industry’s transformation towards digitalisation and the adoption of new technologies.
-- BERNAMA