GEORGE TOWN – State investment promotion agency InvestPenang today said it plans to bring in at least 150,000 graduates over the next five years, in a bid to boost Penang’s human resource capacity.
InvestPenang director Datuk Seri Lee Kah Choon said the agency is working with several universities to attract graduates to the island state, where they would be provided reskilling courses and eventually add to Penang’s workforce.
“The only resources we have in Penang are its people because we do not have many natural resources,” Lee said at a virtual news conference.
“In order for us to sustain economic growth, we need to ensure that Penang will continue to draw talent into Penang, and the target per year is 30,000 to sustain its economy.”
Lee said Penang’s economy has been resilient, recording RM76.2 billion in foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector last year.
Penang also saw total trade of RM354 billion in 2021, with a trade surplus of RM101 billion, he said.
However, Lee said they expect Malaysia to experience some fallout from the Russia-Ukraine war, with the manufacturing sector likely to face disruptions in supply of raw materials due to sanctions on Russia. – The Vibes, March 29, 2022
