Concrete measures in place to address skills mismatch, Deputy HR Minister tells Parliament
The Deputy Human Resources Minister said the rate of skills-related underemployment had dropped from 37.3% in 2022 to 35.7% in the first quarter of 2025, a reduction he attributed to coordinated efforts by various ministries and agencies under the ministry.
'Among the key agencies involved are TalentCorp, the Manpower Department (JTM), the Department of Skills Development (JPK), the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) and HRD Corp.
'These bodies play critical roles in developing a high-skilled workforce aligned with industry needs,' he told the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Aug 6).
He was responding to a question from Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki (PN-Parit Buntar), who had asked about short- and long-term strategies to resolve the skills mismatch issue in the labour market.
To identify industry-critical skills, Abdul Rahman said TalentCorp has published the Malaysia Critical Occupations List (MyCOL) since 2015.
Starting in 2023, he said the initiative was extended to schools to expose students early to future job trends and required skills.
He added that TalentCorp also conducted impact studies on artificial intelligence, the digital economy and green technology to assess their effects on Malaysia's workforce.
Based on these findings, he said the MyMAHIR.my digital portal and MyMAHIR Future Skills Talent Council (FSTC) were introduced.
The FSTC, led by industry players, is responsible for determining training priorities and selecting suitable training centres, he added.
'As of June 2025, 66 training programmes involving 2,336 participants are underway under the FSTC initiative,' he said.
Abdul Rahman also highlighted ongoing reforms to Malaysia's national occupational skills standards (NOSS), with 2,012 active standards currently available and supported by 1,619 accredited training centres nationwide.
To support displaced workers, he said JTM has provided reskilling and upskilling courses, with 84,231 individuals trained in 2024 and another 48,833 participants as of June 30 this year.
Meanwhile, he said PERKESO has expanded initiatives such as the MYFutureJobs job portal, Career Bridge Tool, Career Launchpad programme and Satellite Centres to improve employment services and training access.
Abdul Rahman said strategic partnerships with companies and training institutes also help boost jobseekers' competencies.
Additionally, he said HRD Corp's National Training Week (NTW) 2025 attracted approximately 3.5 million participants from Malaysia and Asean.
'Over 72,000 free training sessions were offered, covering artificial intelligence, coding, cybersecurity, data analytics and more, through physical, online and hybrid formats.'
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