IPOH: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad wants job opportunities created through new developments in the state to be filled by local workers rather than foreigners.
Saarani said employing locals would strengthen domestic spending and create a positive economic multiplier effect within the community.
“In Perak, I’ve always emphasised the importance of planning developments that generate job opportunities for Perakians. With steady employment, they will have stable incomes and spend locally.
“When people spend, other parts of the economy benefit automatically. But if the workers are foreigners, their spending habits differ – they may not buy the same food or goods as locals.
“Local workers, on the other hand, buy clothes, furniture and food suited to Malaysian lifestyles. This supports local traders and suppliers,” he told reporters after officiating the Seminar 2.0: Why I-ESG & I.R 5.0 event here on Thursday (Oct 16).
Saarani said the same concern was shared by the other three northern states – Penang, Kedah and Perlis – during the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on Wednesday.
However, he acknowledged that not all Malaysians are interested in taking up available job opportunities, particularly in sectors such as gas tunnel welding, skilled work in the Electrical and Electronics (E&E) industry, and jobs in the maritime and logistics sectors.
“For example, I was informed that only about 28,000 students in Perak are sitting for the SPM examination this year. Do all of them go to university? No. So where will those who don’t go end up? That’s why we provide TVET as an alternative pathway.
“If they’re not keen on TVET either, we risk losing local talent – and those vacancies will have to be filled by foreign workers.
“When that happens, investors will have to bring in workers from countries such as China, Indonesia or Myanmar,” he said.
Saarani said the four Mentri Besar have therefore agreed to focus on ensuring that available job opportunities are prioritised for local workers.
Among the major developments planned in Perak are the Automotive High-Tech Valley (AHTV), Silver Valley Technology Park, Perak Halal Industrial Park (KIGIP) and the Lumut Maritime Industrial City (LuMIC).
On the event, Saarani said emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Industrial Revolution (IR) 5.0 would not replace human workers but rather enhance their capabilities.
“AI and IR 5.0 are not here to replace humans but to empower them. We will always need skilled people,” he added.
