Firms and employees in Malaysia urged to invest in lifelong learning 

Malaysia must invest in lifelong learning and continuous personal development for its workforce to remain competitive in the global economy, said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Despite the challenges of the past two years, Malaysia is enjoying economic stability, with a labour participation rate of 70.1% as of July 2023, he said. To sustain this momentum, the King emphasised the need to invest in the country’s talents and workforce.

Al-Sultan Abdullah commended the efforts of the Human Resources Ministry and the Human Resources Ministry Development Corporation (HRD Corp), affirming their role in crafting policies and structuring mechanisms for training and training funds to facilitate this growth and recovery. He also highlighted the ministry’s introduction of various initiatives aimed at providing upskilling, employment, placement, and income-generation opportunities for marginalised groups, including single mothers, former prisoners, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.

“With the initiatives put forward by the ministry and the collective efforts of industry players, I am confident that we can achieve our goal of having a 35% skilled workforce by 2030,” said Al-Sultan Abdullah.

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He also acknowledged the impact of a health crisis on the lives of people, education, organisations, and industries, leading to a paradigm shift, where organisations that quickly adapted and agile talents ventured into new avenues and thrived during these challenging times.

Al-Sultan Abdullah also highlighted the growth rate in South-East Asia, which outpaces global averages, and attributed this success to the region’s diverse and youthful workforce with a proportion under the age of 30, reported New Straits Times.