TalentCorp’s internship facilitation lead Noratikah Kasmoi (left) sharing insights with participants during the TalentCorp briefing session held for the northern region industry players. —Photos by K.T. GOH/ The Star
MATCHING potential talents with industrial demands is a task made more seamless when supported by the right initiatives, platforms and collaboration.
Through Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp), an agency under the Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma), various strategies are being implemented to bridge the gap between graduates and employers, as well as to aid individuals seeking career advancement.
“Our mission is to strengthen the country’s talent ecosystem, ensuring that we remain competitive in an evolving global landscape,” said TalentCorp chairman Wong Shu Qi.
However, Wong said this endeavour is one that TalentCorp cannot undertake alone, as it requires collaboration between the government, industry, academia, and the talent themselves to cultivate a resilient, future-ready workforce aligned with industry needs.
“Malaysia is home to a diverse and capable talent pool, and TalentCorp is committed to empowering all groups – students, graduates, working professionals, armed forces veterans, women and our global Malaysian diaspora.
“Our goal is clear, to develop a skilled and sustainable workforce that meets the demands of today’s industries,” she told a crowd of over 150 attendees from various industry partners in the northern region at SPICE Convention Centre.
Wong said the northern region, particularly Penang, continues to play a vital role in the country’s economic growth.
“As a leading hub for electrical and electronics (E&E) and medical industries, Penang has attracted major global investors such as Intel, Micron, Jabil,and B. Braun, among many others.
Wong: Strengthening the country’s talent ecosystem requires collaboration between the government, industry, academia and the talent to cultivate a resilient workforce.
“With this growth, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled talent is crucial, and this is where we must work together,” she said before kicking off a briefing session.
Supporting through key initiatives
The four-hour session, dubbed TalentCorp Open Day, provided a platform for the agency to showcase how it supports industry talent needs through several key initiatives.
Among these is the Insentif Latihan Amali (Ilham) Kesuma, a practical training incentive designed to assist employers in providing structured internships.
This initiative aligns with the 1:3 Internship Policy introduced by Kesuma, ensuring students engage in meaningful, structured and paid internships.
It aims to benefit between 250,000 and 280,000 students annually who require internship placements for academic or voluntary purposes.
Ilham Kesuma includes four main components: TalentCorp’s National Structured Internship Programme (MySIP), the Internship Placement Matching Grant for SMEs and Start-Ups (LiKES) and MyNext, as well as HRDCorp’s Industrial Training Scheme (ITS).
MySIP offers a structured internship framework covering interns’ allowances, training and supervisory costs while enabling companies to claim double tax deductions on internship-related expenses.
LiKES, launched in 2024, leverages digital management to encourage SMEs and start-ups to offer quality internship experiences, with RM30mil allocated for three years (2024–2027) to support eligible employers, providing reimbursements of up to RM300 per intern monthly.
Additionally, RM10mil has been allocated in Budget 2025 to broaden support for SMEs in developing industry-ready talents.
Participants at the TalentCorp Open Day taking notes.
In line with the government’s aspiration to enhance female workforce participation, TalentCorp promotes Women-Centred Incentives that foster flexible work environments and mental health support.
As of December 2024, more than 3,000 organisations had participated in workshops benefiting over 600,000 employees.
The Career Comeback Programme (CCP) Tax Incentive encourages women to return to work by offering employers an additional 50% tax deduction on salaries paid over 12 months, coupled with another 50% tax deduction for implementing Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA), covering costs related to capacity building and software procurement, capped at RM500,000.
These measures aim to boost Malaysia’s Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLPR) to 60%.
TalentCorp has also initiated expatriate facilitation through the MYXpats Centre, streamlining the employment pass process to ensure Malaysia remains attractive to global talent.
In collaboration with the Immigration Department (JIM), the MYXpats Centre was established as a one-stop hub to manage the processing of expatriate-related employment passes efficiently.
The initiative also features the Xpats Gateway single window online platform and the Expatriate Satellite Centres at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2 to further simplify administrative processes for employers.
Sharing best practices
The event also featured industry leaders who shared their experiences in leveraging talent development programmes.
For Inari Technology Sdn Bhd senior human resources manager Zainul Hanifa, it was on the importance of structured internship platforms.
“Industries are striving towards a more structured approach to sourcing internship talents.
“We have our own structured internship programme and were recognised as the most internship-hiring company last year, engaging between 200 and 500 interns per batch.
“Our students gain opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and industry fundamentals, and we closely engage with academia to match their training with industry needs.
“This ensures that students with potential are prioritised for employment upon graduation,” said Zainul.
Arrowood International Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Adrian Praveen highlighted government-backed incentives, tax breaks and financial support that benefit industries, particularly the food and beverage and hospitality sectors.
“The government is serious about talent development, offering substantial tax breaks and financial support for industries.
“Besides subsidies, tax benefits are also available.
While others seize the opportunity to ask questions.
“With Gen-X workers preferring flexibility and shorter concentrated work periods, new opportunities are emerging in the hospitality industry, which previously struggled with securing talent.
“Associations such as the Malaysia Budget Hotel Association (MyBHA), Malaysian Association Of Hotel Owners (MAHO) and Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) are now actively engaging with TalentCorp initiatives to thrive,” he said.
During the media briefing session, Wong highlighted the formation of the sector-based MyMAHIR Future Skills Talent Council (FSTC) as an industry-led collaboration, in bridging talent gaps with industry needs.
“FSTC serves as a platform to identify in-demand job skills, addressing the shortage of qualified workers.
“Industries will determine the skills required for their sectors, enabling graduates and existing employees to undergo retraining to fulfill current and future demands.
“The first FSTC has been established for the E&E sector, and last year, 500 workers acquired new skills in this sector, resulting in salary increases of 5% to 15% compared to their peers,” she said.
Furthermore, TalentCorp, under Kesuma’s mandate as a think tank for labour market evolution, has launched a study on workforce adaptation in the artificial intelligence (AI), digital and green economies.
The first phase of this study examined 10 high-impact sectors that contribute approximately 60% of Malaysia’s GDP (RM933bil) and employ 31% of the country’s skilled and semi-skilled workforce of about 3.5 million people.
“The study aims to assess how new technologies impact industries, including logistics, tourism and communications.
“It serves as a reference for policymakers and industry players in preparing the workforce for the future. Phase one of the report has been completed, while phase two and three, covering 12 additional economic sectors, is underway,” Wong said.
Six key findings have emerged from the study, with all sectors acknowledging the urgent need to transition towards AI, digitalisation, and green economy trends for competitiveness and sustainability, according to a statement by TalentCorp.
“From 949 skilled and semi-skilled job roles validated across 10 sectors, a skills taxonomy for both basic and specific (technical) skills was established, with an impact assessment conducted on each role in collaboration with industry players.
“It is estimated that 620,000 jobs – 18% of Malaysia’s 3.5 million skilled and semi-skilled workforce will be significantly affected over the next three to five years.
“Approximately 1.8 million employees (10.48% of Malaysia’s workforce) in highly and moderately impacted roles will experience shifts due to AI, digital, and green economy trends.
“Job roles in highly impacted categories can pivot to other roles within or across sectors through necessary upskilling or reskilling identified under MyMAHIR.
“Additionally, 60 emerging job roles have been identified as increasingly critical, with 70% related to AI and digital, 20% to green initiatives, and 10% to new technology.
“Employers seeking talent with specialised skills in AI, digital, and green economies will benefit from these insights,” said the statement.
