KUALA LUMPUR: School leavers are encouraged to take up studies in accountancy and finance to meet the demand for professionals with such qualifications in the workforce.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim said while the shortage was not critical, the number of qualified accountants graduating each year was not sufficient to meet the needs of the nation.
“The increase in demand is due to our economy’s rapid growth. Both public and private universities are trying to produce more qualified professional accountants,” Hon told reporters after presenting the 2003 Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants Excellence Awards to top accountancy students here yesterday.
He added the country had produced about 20,000 accountancy graduates so far.
“Regardless whether the economy is performing well or not there will always be a need for professionally trained accountants in every organisation to prepare financial statements and tax computation, among other things,” he said.
About 10% of Malaysian certified public accountants are working as expatriates in other countries, particularly in Singapore, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, and Australia.
“This is a clear testimony of the high quality of a ‘Made-in-Malaysia’ professional accountancy examination and a good sign that our accountants have internationally recognised skills,” he said.
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