Worker shortage is the biggest challenge

Labour crunch: A fresh fruit bunch harvestor at an oil palm plantation in Penang. It is time for the people to understand that many of the low entry level jobs support the high value chain.

MALAYSIA is trying to reduce its dependency on low-skilled foreign workers as it moves up the economic value chain.

To reduce the number of foreign low-skilled workers, both the businesses and industries across all the economic sectors are asked to hire more locals and embrace automation with the aim of becoming a high-income nation.