By Olivia Miwil - March 14, 2023 @ 10:43am
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah looks into various strategies to reverse brain drain, said state Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship minister Phoong Jin Zhe.
He added that it was undeniable that young people and their parents had been having the same sentiment that Sabah had no hope in providing employment with decent salaries.
Due to the decades-long situation, Phoong said many had migrated to seek for better livelihoods elsewhere which caused setbacks to industrial development due to lack of manpower.
According to the Human Resources Ministry, Sabah showed a high emigration of 45,900 people in 2020.
"To change their perception (about the situation) would be a continuous process, it cannot be done overnight, but we need to create positivity (in job opportunities) to show that our government is now doing all it can.
"By creating positivity, there will be a synergy effect on the economy and thus, more investors will be convinced to come here," he said, citing one of the instances was Kibing Group with more than RM2 billion investment offering 2,100 jobs.
He was speaking to reporters last night during a sending-off ceremony for the 29 local engineers to China.
Phoong added that his ministry had been discussing with investors and employers to offer competitive salaries to locals.
"For a decent pay in Sabah, it would be good if employers could offer an additional 50 per cent on top of minimum wage of RM1,500 (for entry level job).
"An offer of two-thirds of current salary for those who work overseas could also attract them to return home as their family members are in Sabah," he said.
Quoting World Bank Report last year on Sabah development, Phoong said that there was more to be done on human capital development as there were only 10 per cent highly skilled workers and only 30 per cent Sabah population had tertiary education.
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