Interesting invention: Sim (centre) posing with a robot at the 2025 NHCCE in Kuala Lumpur. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The entire surplus of RM1mil from the National Human Capital Conference and Exhibition (NHCCE) 2025 will be used to train gig workers, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
He said this is in line with the government’s commitment to upskill and protect the group under the newly-passed Gig Workers Law.
The conference and exhibition recorded a surplus of about RM1mil this year, compared with RM500,000 in 2024.
Sim said Malaysia aims to achieve a 35% skilled workforce by 2030, adding that the country needs tens of thousands of engineers and technicians.
“Yet, according to a 2022 study, 47.16% of e-hailing riders who reported gig work as their main source of income possess either SPM or diploma qualifications.
“This group can potentially fill critical skill roles in the job market. Yet, for various reasons, they did not.
“Gig work may provide immediate income but their education and training are not fully utilised, and they miss the opportunity to build long-term careers.
“This is not only a loss to individuals but also to the nation’s aspiration of building a high- income, high-growth, high-tech, high-value economy,” he said in his opening speech at NHCCE here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Sim said HRD Corp had been tasked by the Human Resources Ministry to ensure gig workers are provided with quality training opportunities to support their career advancement.
He said to ensure these opportunities reach the right individuals, HRD Corp will collaborate with associations representing gig workers, as well as platform companies, to connect them directly to the training programmes.
Sim also highlighted HRD Corp’s achievements over the past three years, noting that out of RM6.17bil in levies collected since 2023, a total of RM5.77bil, or 94%, has been spent on training about four million workers nationwide.
“Out of this amount, about RM25mil was spent on AI and IT-related skill courses, with more than 20,000 workers trained.While these numbers are large, we know they are not enough.
“HRD Corp and the Human Resources Ministry will continue to intensify efforts to provide more training programmes, including free courses, to help Malaysians adapt to the AI-driven labour market,” he added.
