PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs to prioritise a support system for raising children to avoid the double whammy of declining birth rates and reaching aged nation status in less than a decade, say experts.
Many such policies have already been drawn up, such as setting up more childcare centres in the private sector, but the implementation of these programmes is slow and needs to be accelerated, they said.
Otherwise, Malaysia will not be able to produce enough working-age adults to support a society in which seniors make up the majority, they added.
Former Malaysian Research Institute of Ageing director and current Fellow at Academy Science Malaysia Datuk Prof Dr Tengku Aizan Tengku Abdul Hamid said there is a greater need for a system that supports childbearing, such as childcare facilities.
“Please do not do only the things the government promotes. This will not help, as shown in more developed countries. Even encouraging paternal care leave is tough. In Sweden, they increased the number of days for fathers.
“Ideally, there should be more flexibility in entry and re-entry into the labour force.
“This all ties into policy, which is why it is good to have a work-from-home policy with stricter guidelines, like during the Covid-19 lockdowns.”
Prof Tengku Aizan said employers need to rethink the face-to-face policy by implementing proper productivity measurements, while engendering greater trust between bosses and workers.
When asked if the government should provide some form of incentive through monetary or other means to promote marriage and children, Prof Tengku Aizan said such methods don’t work.
“Many countries have done this and given up. It is more important to have services and facilities to support care, especially for children of all income groups.
“Currently, such facilities are affordable for high-income families as businesses develop them.
“So, the government must take this up as children will be the future labour force,” said Prof Tengku Aizan, who is also chairman of the board at the Private Pension Administration.
She said this in response to the Statistics Department data which showed that Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang are the only states still producing enough babies to replenish their populations amid a rapid decline in Malaysia’s fertility rates.
On marriage and childbirth incentives, Socio-Economic Research Centre executive director Lee Heng Guie said the country must have an integrated and well-planned population growth.
“It has to take into account socio-economic development, education, employment and communities. Demographic shifts also influence population growth,” he said.
Lee said declining fertility rates and shrinking working populations could lead to an ageing society, placing social and economic pressures on the government’s budget, particularly on revenue, pension and healthcare spending.
“Declining populations will slow economic growth and dampen demand due to a lower working-age population.
“The government has to adjust taxation and spending to meet the demands of changing demographics. Policies on pensions, employment law, childcare and benefits must change in the future to accommodate different needs.
“Measures for consideration are to raise the retirement age, training in middle life, and encouraging companies to re-employ retirees after the retirement age of 60,” he added.
