Employers can opt to share SHN, Covid-19 test costs for transfer workers under new MOM guidelines

EMPLOYERS of non-Malaysian work permit holders who are being transferred to a new workplace may now share the costs of Stay-home Notices and related Covid-19 tests with subsequent employers.

They can arrange for such costs to be shared if the worker is transferred to another employer within 12 months from the completion of the Stay-home Notice, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a press statement on Friday (Nov 12).

Laying out the guidelines on how the costs can be shared, MOM recommends employers bear the costs that are proportionate to the workers' duration of employment within the 12-month period.

Employers may also divide the costs among themselves by mutual agreement so long as they meet the following criteria:

- The current employer does not receive more than what he or she paid for the Stay-home Notice and related Covid-19 tests;

- Both current and new employers sign a written agreement which must be retained by both sides for a period of a year from the agreement date

MOM added that employers who have enlisted the help of an employment agency to aid in the transfer of the worker should approach the agency for assistance in facilitating the sharing of the costs.