PETALING JAYA: Talent Corp, which has facilitated the return of 4,931 Malaysians abroad since its inception nearly 15 years ago, believes that more professionals would come home as the country’s economy improves.
“We are optimistic that the number of returnees will increase as the Malaysian economy grows and offers more attractive prospects,” said outgoing Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad group chief executive officer Thomas Mathew (pic).
“Even for those who are not returning soon, TalentCorp will continue to engage them through our MyHeart initiative so they can contribute from afar until they feel the time is right for them to come home,” he said.
Talent Corp, an agency under the Human Resources Ministry, is tasked with drawing skilled Malaysians back to the country.
An Instagram post, which it put up in February, says it all: “Malaysia Misses You!”
Mathew, whose term as CEO ended yesterday after a five-year tenure, said that under its Returning Expert Programme (REP), 11,992 applications were received as of September, out of which 7,550 were approved.
This means that about 520 Malaysian professionals are approved annually since the introduction of REP.
“Of the approved applications, 4,931 of them have returned to Malaysia,” he said.
To ease the application process and minimise concerns about red tape, Talent Corp has digitalised REP applications since December last year.
Mathew said the agency had also simplified documentation requirements and streamlined coordination with agencies such as the Immigration Department and Inland Revenue Board.
He said the REP enhancement had been integrated into the Malaysia@Heart (MyHeart) platform to enable Malaysians overseas to apply, upload documents and track their status from anywhere in the world under a one-stop online portal.
The platform is a single integrated digital hub that allows Malaysians abroad to explore job opportunities, connect with Malaysian employers, schools and access relocation resources.
“We have heard the feedback of Malaysians on their concerns about bureaucracy and we have acted on it,” he said.
“Our goal is simple. We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring returnees worldwide can reintegrate with confidence and make coming home a smooth, future-ready and rewarding experience.”
He said TalentCorp was aware that certain professions, such as doctors and others in regulated roles, require additional approvals from their regulatory bodies before full benefits of the REP is granted.
As such, he said the agency would work with other relevant agencies so applicants understand that these requirements ensure professional standards are maintained.
About 96% of the 4,931 Malaysians who came home had been gainfully employed across key sectors, he said.
Mathew said a 2021 study found that 85% of Malaysians abroad are keen to return if ideal opportunities exists.
“We found that job matching is a critical obstacle. Many would hesitate to move without a suitable position lined up for them.”
To address this, he said the MyHeart Career & Facilitation Fest (MyHeart CaFe) series was launched in 2022. These are quarterly events that connect Malaysian professionals overseas directly with local employers.
“These fairs have already engaged 1,499 returning Malaysians and filled 1,981 job vacancies,” he said.
As for incentives offered to them, Mathew highlighted the 15% flat tax rate on chargeable employment income for five years.
Another incentive is a tax exemption of up to RM100,000 for the purchase of one locally manufactured Complete Knocked Down vehicle.
There is also tax exemption for one shipment of personal belongings brought into Malaysia.
Their foreign spouses and children below 18 years old are eligible to apply for permanent residency.
“This means returning Malaysians can bring their family with the assurance of a long-term path to integration and significantly reduce repeated visa renewals that they previously faced,” he said.
Talent Corp’s new CEO Edward Ling, who will lead the agency from today, has spent over two decades in driving business transformation and digital innovations in multi-national companies such as LinkedIn, Waze and Google.
