They said that only through sufficient investment into helping expatriates transfer their skills and knowledge to the local workforce can Malaysia sustainably transition to a high-skilled workforce that is not reliant on foreign expertise. Ahmad Fahmi added that the goal should be to ultimately build a fair, dignified and sustainable employment ecosystem, where local talent is trusted, empowered and positioned as a driver of national development. “We do have local talent, but the gap now is mainly in their senior-level experience and niche skills. To resolve this, he called on local companies to invest in upskilling and training programmes to close any of such skill gaps. “The government should also make it its policy to reinforce and accelerate this growing trend of highly-educated talent through efforts to help graduates transition into employment more smoothly,” he said.
