Today's top Malaysian news, sport and lifestyle.
With four days until Johor's state election, PH's Muhammad Taqiuddin Cheman is concentrating his Maharani campaign on young voters' priorities: employment, business opportunities, and skills training.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has unveiled ambitious targets for the newly-launched Bakat Madani programme, which aims to provide support and opportunities to 25,000 Malaysians during its inaugural year of implementation.
The government has paid RM64 million in incentives to 4,025 private employers under the Progressive Wage Policy, lifting incomes for 51,363 skilled workers as part of efforts to strengthen wage progression under the MADANI Economy framework.
Malaysia's government is restructuring its foreign worker management framework to improve efficiency and coordination, with the One Stop Centre now under the Ministry of Human Resources.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has launched the Bakat MADANI initiative, a collaborative effort involving government-linked companies and Petronas aimed at developing 25,000 individuals through skills training and employment opportunities in high-growth sectors.
Malaysia saw 42,807 job losses in the first half of 2024, with business closures and company downsizing responsible for over 40 percent. The Human Resources Minister dismissed AI as a primary threat, pointing instead to structural economic challenges.
Malaysia's labour market has remained stable through the first half of 2026, with job losses declining 20 per cent to 6,197 unemployed individuals. Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah credited government intervention programmes for helping workers return to employment.
The Malaysian Association of Employment Agencies has introduced a new insurance programme providing employers with abscondment compensation and domestic workers with hospitalisation coverage, addressing longstanding gaps in Malaysia's informal employment sector.
A Swiss job portal study of 7.3 million postings reveals entry-level positions have plummeted 32% since 2023 as employers adopt artificial intelligence, particularly in marketing, finance and IT sectors.
Malaysia's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security reports that agricultural TVET graduates achieved an 81% marketability rate in 2024, up from 78% the previous year, reflecting growing demand in the sector.