International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz, quoted in today's newspapers, called on the state government of southern Johor bordering Singapore to set up a task force to reverse the labour drain.

"We need to understand why Malaysians choose to migrate or commute daily to work in Singapore when job opportunities and career prospects are aplenty here," she was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

"By working abroad, they not only deny their contributions to their own country but volunteer their skills and services to prosper another country."

The outflow of local workers was forcing Malaysia to bring in workers from abroad, Rafidah said.

Malaysia has some one million legal foreign workers and thousands of others who are not documented.

Rafidah said the Johor government should distribute questionnaires at its immigration checkpoint to local workers travelling daily to Singapore.

From the feedback, the authorities could identify alternative employment locally to lure the workforce back, she said.

"The unemployment rate in the country is about two percent, not because there are no jobs available but because the locals are too choosy," she added.

Rafidah said attractive pay could not be the sole reason as Malaysians would have to consider the high cost of living in Singapore. The present attractive currency exchange was also only temporary, she added.

The Malaysian ringgit is currently valued at around 2.40 to the Singapore dollar compared to about 1.70 before the regional financial crisis struck in mid-1997.