Baby? Please come back!

Malaysian women in the workforce tend to leave the labour market in their 30's, and many of them never return, according to the World Bank's Inclusive Employment Practices Survey. — This visual is human-created, AI-aided

WHEN Malaysian women start their careers, the numbers look promising. Many of them enter the workforce in their 20s, making up more than half the labour force at 56.2% as of 2023.

But something happens when women hit their 30s: They begin to leave the workforce, and most don’t come back, according to a recent World Bank report.