ALOR STAR, Malaysia: Part-time government contractors, mostly in Class F, will be phased out soon.

Contractors renewing their licences will be vetted through a test, and "those who are not serious will be phased out", said Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor. He did not elaborate on the test.

He said part-timers often produced shoddy work and the government wanted serious contractors who considered the construction industry a profession, not those who saw it as an opportunity to generate side income.

Shaziman said there were 45,000 contractors in the country, and 31,000 of these were in Class F.

"We have too many small-time contractors," he said after opening the Kedah Malay Contractors Association's 32nd annual general meeting on Saturday.

"It is not healthy for the construction industry and it will be hard for them to survive the current economic situation," he said.

He urged small Class F contractors to pool their resources by merging or forming consortiums to reduce their operating costs.

He also suggested that owners register their heavy machinery with the association so that other contractors could rent them.