Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad

4 hours ago

#MALAYSIAKERJA (MALAYSIA@WORK)

The allocation of RM6.5 billion for Malaysia At Work will create jobs for Malaysians over the next five years.

The programme has many long-term multiplier effects that go beyond the five years: it creates jobs, it creates learning opportunities, it creates relationships that require collaboration.

Everyone has a part to play in overcoming the challenges caused by unemployment as it will fester and affect all levels of society if left unchecked. And it will take a Malaysian solution, and a Malaysian team, to solve this Malaysian problem.

#MalaysiaKerja, or Malaysia At Work, is the Malaysian answer to resolving employment challenges in the marketplace.

The programme is targeted at very specific segments of the labour force: our youth through Graduates At Work and Apprentice At Work; our Women At Work and our Locals At Work.

Graduates At Work - because our Youth will inherit the nation and their lives define our future. And because IR4.0 (Fourth Industrial Revolution) has opened up so many opportunities in the technical and vocational sectors, we want to encourage our youths to become skilled in TVET fields through the Apprentice At Work programme.

We have Women At Work, because Women hold up half the sky - and this is certainly the case in Malaysia. In every juncture of our history, women, who are primary caretakers of the family unit, have played an integral role in raising future Malaysians with strong values. More so in times of economic change.

Locals At Work because we want our 3D workers to know that they work in Dignified, Dynamic and Desirable jobs. As Malaysia aspires towards developed nation status, we must look towards the best models of countries who have made it. I truly admire the citizens of countries like Japan and Korea who have so much pride in the everyday work that they do. No job is too lowly and so they have very little dependence on foreign labour.

Facilitated by the Ministry of Finance through the EPF, Malaysia At Work will see active involvement and moral ownership from the following ministries:

• For the youth-focused Graduates At Work and Apprentice At Work initiatives – the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sports

• The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development will look into the Women At Work component, and

• The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Human Resources will focus on the needs of Locals At Work.

I want to emphasise that not only do I require the mentioned ministries to be personally accountable for the various At Work pillars, I expect the rest of the cabinet to step up, pool their resources and give every support available to ensure the programmes’ success. ... See MoreSee Less

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