Malé City Mayor Adam Azim has defended the employment of expatriate workers in local markets, arguing that businesses rely on foreign labour due to the shortage of available Maldivian workers.

The issue was raised during the second official general meeting of the fifth-term Malé City Council, where Maafannu South constituency council member Ibrahim Laban Shareef questioned the presence of foreign workers in markets and claimed that the practice was not authorised.

Responding to the concerns, Mayor Azim said many market vendors have struggled for years to recruit and retain local employees, making it difficult to sustain their operations without foreign labour.

He noted that businesses facing staffing shortages obtain employment quotas through the relevant government authorities.

The Mayor argued that expatriate workers are already employed across a wide range of industries and that similar standards should apply to market operations.

He added that foreign workers are engaged in markets primarily to ensure businesses can continue functioning efficiently.

Mayor Azim also stressed that if expatriates are legally permitted to work as sales assistants in retail outlets, enforcement measures should be applied consistently across all sectors rather than targeting specific industries.

According to the Mayor, the dependence on foreign labour reflects broader workforce shortages rather than employer preference.

He maintained that many of these positions would be filled by Maldivians if sufficient local workers were available.

The Mayor further pointed to a recent initiative in Guraidhoo that resulted in the removal of foreign workers and subsequently disrupted business operations.

He said such experiences highlight the importance of balancing regulatory enforcement with economic realities and the need to maintain uninterrupted commercial activity.