Labour shortages in the agricultural sector of the Malaysian economy-with reference to the rubber and oil palm estates

The labour shortage in the plantation industry is largely a result of the exodus of estate youths to the urban centres. Low earnings are not the main reason behind the urban migration. It is not so much a matter of relative earnings as status, prospects and life-style. Also, estate employment does not provide a steady income. Earnings fluctuate with changes in the price of the commodity. To curb urban migration would stem the flow of labour needed to work in the factories. The shift from agriculture to industry is part of the inexorable process of change in a developing economy. Immigrant labour is a possible short-term measure to alleviate the labour shortage in the estate sector. The permanent solution lies in mechanisation.