MALAYSIAN workers who have been retrenched in Singapore say they do not mind taking a pay cut and applying for contract jobs with the Government or private sector here.

Many feel that having a steady monthly income especially during an economic downturn was more important.

Factory operator Ahmad Hazwan Hassan Hafiz, 25, who was retrenched from his company in Singapore in December said he did not mind being a contract worker.

'If I perform well, I may become a permanent worker,' he said optimistically.

The father of a six-month-old baby, who used to earn S$1,800 (RM4,320) a month, also said he was prepared to accept a pay cut.

'My wife only earns RM1,000 a month. With a baby, monthly housing bills and a car loan of RM1,800, I really need a job urgently,' said Ahmad Hazwan, who graduated from a community college in Bandar Penawar.

N. Magiswarin, 52, who was retrenched last year as a supervisor from an oil-and-gas company based in Singapore, said it would be good for the public sector to recruit retrenched workers especially from Singapore as many of them were skilled.

The father of four children, aged 13 to 20, said he did not mind taking a pay cut as long as he has a job because he was the sole breadwinner in his family.

Graduate A. Shamila, 29, who was retrenched from a manufacturing company in Tebrau, Johor, last month, said she was happy the compensation she received would be tax free under the mini budget.

'I think it is more stable working with the Government. The minimum pay of RM2,000 a month is fine with me,' said Shamila who earned RM2,500 as an engineer at the company that she had been working with for five years.