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Hundreds of Malaysians, from factory workers and salespeople to electricians, painters and carpenters, have crossed the Causeway into Singapore for work since August 17.
The influx has been a relief for many companies, who lost their key employees when the Malaysian government closed the border on March 18 in response to an increase in Covid-19 cases.
Many Malaysian workers were trapped in their homes, unable to cross the border, while others sought temporary accommodation in Singapore to continue working.
“When Singapore began to reopen the economy in May, we were unable to start work because many of our workers were trapped in Malaysia,” said Mr. Alloyious Koh, chief creative consultant for Carpenters Design Group.
Koh is now optimistic that operations will return to normal, as his company has hired about 20 workers under the Periodic Relocation Agreement (PCA), one of two plans that facilitate travel between Malaysia and Singapore.
The PCA allows residents of Singapore and Malaysia with long-term immigration passes for business and work in the other country to enter for work, while the Reciprocal Green Lane arrangement facilitates travel for essential business or official purposes.
Before the pandemic, more than 300,000 people used the Calzada every day. Among them were some 100,000 Malaysians who commuted to Singapore daily to work a wide variety of jobs before returning home at night.
The partial reopening of the border has also caused hundreds of Malaysians to leave Singapore for the first time in months to return home.
Hotel worker Muhd Shafii Muhd, 40, was excited to see his family in Johor Baru after five months of separation. Your employer has allowed you to take unpaid leave for the rest of the year and return in January.
“The first thing I’m going to do is spend time with my family, that’s the most important thing,” he said.
Ms. Cindy Ong, 33, a nurse, also decided to stay in Johor. “From now on, we get by with savings. My husband is also helping out in a friend’s business. We hope the borders will be fully reopened for commutes so that we can resume our work in Singapore.” He said.
The resumption of cross-border travel is still a trickle compared to before the pandemic, said Maybank Kim Eng Senior Economist Chua Hak Bin.
But it will help reduce some of the worker shortages contractors face, especially for home renovations and repairs, he said.
Electronics giant Gain City, which had 20 employees stuck in Malaysia, brought 10 back to the PCA.
One of them, 33-year-old Malaysian Foo Tuck Hoe, said the reopening of the border has brought much hope to him and his family. Foo, who installs air conditioners, said he was concerned that he would not have a stable income after learning in May that his wife was pregnant.
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