GOVERNMENT support for young Malaysians aged 30 and above will continue even though they no longer fall under the new legal definition of “youth”, says Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
She said the ministry had received feedback from Malaysian Youth Council groups seeking assistance for those above 30 who still require government intervention.
Yeoh said the Youth and Sports Ministry had presented a Cabinet memorandum last week to coordinate support for young Malaysians after the youth age limit comes into effect on Jan 1, 2026.
“The Cabinet discussed and approved this paper,” she told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Among the measures approved is the continuation of all existing government assistance for those aged 30 and above.
“Even if they are no longer called youth, we call them ‘anak muda’ and they will still receive help,” she said.
Yeoh said several ministries already offer grants and programmes for this group.
“For example, the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry has various grants for young entrepreneurs.
“Those aged 30 and above can still apply,” she said, adding that special agricultural grants will also continue, as many young Malaysians are not keen on outdoor work and still need support to venture into farming.
Yeoh emphasised that youth development involves many ministries and agencies, not just hers.
“For example, the Higher Education Ministry supports youth in universities, the Health Ministry covers reproductive health and the Human Resources Ministry deals with young workers.”
She also outlined the official definitions of minority, marginalised and at-risk youth under the Malaysian Youth Policy 2015–2035. These include school-going youth, university youth, working youth, skilled youth, international youth, minority and marginalised youth, as well as at-risk youth.
At-risk youth are defined as those who may be school dropouts, unemployed, victims of abuse, young offenders, ex-offenders, bankrupt individuals, smokers, drinkers, drug users, illegal racers or those facing identity issues.
Yeoh also shared national statistics.
According to the Statistics Department, Malaysia has 9.4 million youths aged 15 to 30, accounting for about 28% of the population.
In 2023, 1.11 million youths were classified as Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET).
The figure fell to 1.02 million last year.
Sabah recorded the highest NEET numbers in both years, at 222,900.
