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.

Source: The Star January 19, 2026 11:11 UTC