By Karen Bong
KUCHING, May 11: Malaysia needs high-skilled workers to make up 35 per cent of the labour force by 2030 in order to achieve developed country status.
Currently, the country’s current workforce is predominantly comprised of semi-skilled individuals, accounting for a staggering 62.3 per cent of the talent pool while the high-skilled workers constitute only 24.9 per cent, according to the Current Workforce Composition by the Department of Statistics Malaysia.
To put Malaysia’s current situation into perspective, Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) president Datuk Ts Ir Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir said the World Bank suggested Malaysia would need to create two millions additional high-skilled jobs to match the average level of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
“Since MBOT’s establishment in 2016, it has registered more than 70,000 technologists and technicians, including 18,765 professional technologists and 2,260 certified technicians.
“It is noteworthy that over 5,000 of these professional members hail from Sarawak and Sabah that is about 7.5 per cent out of our total members,” she shared at the MBOT Borneo Symposium 2023 held at the Borneo Cultures Museum here today.
Applauding the major strides Sarawak has made in industry and talent development in science, innovation and technology, especially on green and new economy, Siti Hamisah believes Sarawak will be able to bridge the existing gap and invest in developing a highly skilled workforce capable of meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving global economy.
“Sarawak’s Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) system is a testament to the success story when it will commence the first hydrogen fuel cells trains in this region by 2024,” she pointed out.
As a professional body that recognises the technology and technical profession, Siti Hamisah said MBOT is committed to enhancing the quality of technology graduates in the region, including through close collaboration and support from Sarawak and Sabah.
The MBOT Borneo Symposium 2023, which is the largest TechZone event held in the country to date, was officiated by Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The event was co-organised by MBOT, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Sarawak-based Association of Professional Technicians and Technologists (APTT).
With the theme ‘Preparing A Sustainable Workforce’, the programme aims to promote and recognise the contributions of technologists and technicians, particularly those in Sarawak and Sabah.
Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) chairman Tan Sri Morshidi Abdul Ghani was among those present. — DayakDaily
