LETTERS: "TALENT wins games. But teamwork and intelligence win championships." The saying by former American basketball player Michael Jordan centres on the importance of a synergy usually associated with a group working towards achieving a shared goal. It is an idea common to many but the greater the goal, the bigger the responsibilities and challenges. Working to nurture talent to produce a skilled workforce that works towards developing the country is no easy feat. Nevertheless, the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between TalentCorp and Mara Corp is admirable. The two ..read more

  KUALA LUMPUR: Initiatives in the 2022 Budget could help alleviate the rising unemployment rate, said the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF). In a statement today, it said unemployment rate rose to 711,000 persons in 2020 from 508,200 in 2019, while youth unemployment rose to 314,000 persons in 2020 from 295,800 in 2019. MEF president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman also commended the government's allocation of RM4.8 billion to guarantee 600,000 job opportunities under the Jamin Kerja Keluarga Malaysia (JaminKerja) initiative. Additionally, under the initiative, employers who hire M ..read more

    KUALA LUMPUR: More Malaysian businesses are projected to hire aggressively, with a primary focus on talent development, attracting and retaining individuals with the necessary capabilities to make the most of scarce skills. Economists said this could bring down the unemployment ratio in the local economy as employers would choose flow-to-work operating models, which create pools of resources that they can deploy flexibly and on-demand. Juwai IQI chief economist Shan Saeed said these pools would be formed based on similarity of skills rather than similarity of business functions ..read more

  KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — Gig economy workers in the country are not included under the definition of a worker under the Employment Act 1955 (Act 265); Labour Ordinance (Sabah Chapter 67) and the Labour Ordinance (Sarawak Chapter 76), the Dewan Rakyat was told today. Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Awang Hashim said that thus far, there was no record or filing of labour cases regarding this group of gig workers that could be used as a benchmark (or a test case) that would allow gig economy workers to enjoy similar benefits as workers as clearly defined under the country’s labour law ..read more

  KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 ― The Budget 2022 initiatives would help in alleviating the rising unemployment rate, said the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF). In a statement today, it noted that the unemployment rate rose to 711,000 persons in 2020 from 508,200 in 2019, while youth unemployment rose to 314,000 persons in 2020 from 295,800 in 2019. MEF president Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman commended the government’s allocation of RM4.8 billion to guarantee 600,000 job opportunities under the Jamin Kerja Keluarga Malaysia (JaminKerja) initiative. Additionally, under the initiative, employ ..read more

  WITH technology advancement and innovation as well as generational shift, accelerated by the pandemic, many organisations are prepared to embrace remote working as a permanent employment feature. Employees are able to work from different locations with relative ease, as governments and most employers encourage remote work. Employees are also adjusting their expectations on work-life balance, together with family support requirements. What comes next? The bureaucracy of remote work must be managed. The government, in March 2021, announced that it is proposing amendments to the Employm ..read more

   The success of young agropreneurs acts like a magnet, pulling more young people into the world of agriculture which can bail them out of poverty. Thus, it can also help the country address dire problems, such as unemployment and food insecurity. Young agropreneurs who have successfully applied modern, innovative and technological methods can serve as role models and motivations for other young people in the country to embark on the same path. The emergence of new technologies in the agricultural sector can drive innovation in improving product quality and increase production vol ..read more

 Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has outlined seven strategic thrusts for occupational safety and health (OSH) in in the country amidst an ever-changing work environment brought about by the pandemic. He said these seven areas of focus were critical because a neglect of occupational safety and health could potentially cause Malaysia to lose 4 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) per year. Ismail Sabri, who was speaking at the launch of the Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2021-2025 (OSHMP25) today, said such medium-term initiatives were drafted after taking ..read more

   The job market is likely to recover in the coming months, backed by increasing domestic-oriented business activities and labour demand due to the improved domestic spending. MIDF Research said the relaxation of restrictions following improved Covid-19 situation and encouraging progress in the vaccination programme would allow greater mobility. "Therefore, this will support higher spending activity in the fourth quarter of 2021, with the ban on interstate travels expected to be lifted soon," said MIDF Research in a report recently. However, the recovery may be gradual as the late ..read more

 The society should see future jobs in the direction of multi-fields or multiple specialisations, where they are no longer focused on one area of specialisation, said National Recovery Council (MPN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. He said specialisation and expertise in diversified fields should now be the priority facing the working environment in post-Covid-19 pandemic. “There is a dire need for students, graduates, youths and housewives, too, to adapt to changes brought about by the pandemic and digitisation by focussing on diversification of their skills. “For example, if a perso ..read more