KUALA LUMPUR, 24 June – Malaysia’s state of Penang is aiming to attract 150,000 skilled workers from other Malaysian states over the next five years to curb a shortage of skilled workers in the state, as announced by InvestPenang.
InvestPenang executive director Lee Kah Choon said the state’s current target is to attract 30,000 workers annually in the next five years, adding that there are highly skilled job opportunities at multinational companies and at local small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
“We want to attract talented workers in various fields, not only in the electrical and electronic industry but also in fields like accounting, law and medicine,” he said at a press conference in PSDC today.
He said that the E&E industry is moving towards automation, proving the need for highly trained workers to manage the automation.
“There are more high-end investments coming in which created high-income jobs.”
Lee Kah Choon said the local supply chain and SMEs are facing problems in hiring local workers and talents.
“We must enhance the local ecosystem by training and attracting talents to support the ecosystem which will in turn support investors and multinational companies in Penang,” he said.
When asked about opportunities for local Penang talent, Lee said priority is given to local talent but the state needs to recruit talent externally due to a shortage of knowledge workers.
He said the shortage is due to an influx of investments into Penang, with the state seeing a record high of RM76.2 billion in approved manufacturing investments, a surge of 440 per cent year-on-year.
“With the influx of strategic investments into Penang, a healthy talent pipeline development is critical to meet the heightened industrial demand,” he said.
He said the state has carried out multi-pronged approaches in talent attraction and development including promoting Penang as a conducive work environment for career development.
Source: ASWAQ/Malay Mail
