Johor set to be first Malaysia state to offer ‘premium’ salaries for sectors related to proposed SEZ with Singapore

The council will continue to strengthen the ecosystem for TVET while providing high-skilled career opportunities, Mr Ahmad Zahid explained. 

“To prevent talents from seeking employment abroad, it is crucial to offer competitive wages and by introducing premium salaries, Johor aims to enhance local job opportunities, ensuring that they remain attractive to workers and graduates from over 220 TVET institutions in the (Johor) state,” he added. 

According to local media, Mr Ahmad Zahid had also instructed the Human Resources Development Corporation to allocate RM20 million to facilitate efforts in training and scouting talents to join the workforce. 

The launch of the JTDC on Nov 3 was also attended by Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi, Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir and Deputy Human Resources Minister Abdul Rahman Mohamad. 

The state’s chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi said that the JTDC talent hub will consolidate all educational and training courses in the state to meet industry demands and expand partnerships with industries and higher-education institutions in research, equipment provision and expertise-sharing, as reported by Bernama. 

“I believe Johor is the first state to launch a talent development council … we hope to offer high-value jobs for the major sectors under the JS-SEZ,” he said. 

Mr Ahmad Zahid said that there are currently 100,000 quality job opportunities under the JS-SEZ, with 74,000 such jobs made available. Only 52,000 of the positions have been filled so far. 

“This (Johor Talent Development Council) could ensure that the 100,000 quality job opportunities created under the JS-SEZ will be taken up … only some 52,000 have been filled which shows that people want high-paying and quality jobs,” he was quoted as saying by The Star. 

The proposed JS-SEZ aims to boost the Johor economy through economic cooperation with Singapore, with a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed between Singapore and Malaysia in Jan 2024. 

The idea of the Johor Talent Development Council was first brought up by Mr Onn in July this year, as part of his plans to transform Johor into a developed state by 2030. The council is said to liaise with universities and colleges to groom graduates for specific jobs to meet industry needs. 

“With a comprehensive policy and solid support from all stakeholders, I am confident that JTDC will play an important role in making Johor a developed state, as well as being the main reference in meeting sufficient and sustainable skilled manpower needs,” he said on Jul 18, as quoted by the Malay Mail. 

Earlier this year on Feb 19, the Department of Statistics in Malaysia – an agency under the Prime Minister’s Department and the Ministry of Economy – had flagged concerns of a “brain drain” of skilled workers leaving Malaysia and urged a push to ensure Malaysians return to their homeland after work experience abroad.