Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has directed the Human Resources Ministry to expedite the processing of 15,000 foreign worker applications.

The directive was announced by government spokesperson and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil at a press conference after the weekly cabinet meeting on 5 August.

Fahmi said the move aims to quickly meet labor demand in affected sectors and boost the country's economic activity.

Earlier, on 24 July, Anwar had stated that ministries and government agencies were ordered to resolve the shortage of foreign workers in the Indian Muslim restaurant sector within one month.

Anwar said the government is seriously considering the labor shortage issue raised by restaurant owners.

He stressed that the entire foreign worker recruitment process must be carried out in an orderly manner and in accordance with existing policies.

The directive is part of Malaysia's broader effort to address labor shortages across various sectors.

The specific sectors affected and the timeline for processing the 15,000 applications have not been disclosed.