Malaysian palm oil industry looking to forced labor to fill labor supply gap

In Malaysia, the Guardian newspaper reports that the palm oil industry is looking to use forced labor from prisons and drug rehabilitation centers to help bridge the industry’s acute labor supply gap. More than 80% of the industry work force comes from other Asian countries like India and Bangladesh but the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the ability of those workers to return to the plantations. Workers’ rights activists are sounding the alarm, however, concerned that the institutionalized forced labor would be the equivalent to slavery.