KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 13 -- Putrajaya is "not discounting" proposals to legalise work for refugees in sectors with a critical labour shortage, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution told Parliament's House of Representatives this morning.

The idea comes as several key economic sectors face persistent labor shortages and rely heavily on foreign workers.

These industries typically involve high levels of manual, physical, or shift-based labor - often categorised as dirty, dangerous, and demanding, or "3D Jobs".

"If only we could collect the data of these 225,000 people, then separate those who fall within a productive age range, ages 20, 25, 30 are still productive," Saifuddin said during Question Time.

"Once filtered, we would have th...