‘NATION NEEDS MORE SKILLED WORKERS’

Govt to increase skilled workforce to 35pc to boost productivity, says PM

SYED UMAR ARIFF PORT KLANG news@nst.com.my

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wants more high-skilled workers to boost the national productivity rate from 2.3 to four per cent annually, and spur Malaysia to become a developed economy by 2020.

Speaking to students and teaching staff of WIT College here yesterday, Najib said highskilled workers formed 28 per cent of the country’s workforce and the government was planning to increase it to 35 per cent in three years.

He said the need for highskilled workers correlated with the aspects of high per capita income, level of employability and education.

Najib added that the government had allocated RM4.6 billion in the 2017 Budget to develop technical and vocational education, and training programmes nationwide.

“We want our workers to be equipped with better skills and multitalented. These high-skilled workers will contribute to a higher productivity rate.

“If we have workers who are not highly skilled, including those in retail, then they will only earn what can be considered as low income.”

Later, Najib announced an allocation of RM4 million to upgrade facilities at WIT College.

WIT, or previously known as Workers’ Institute of Technology, was set up by the Transport Workers’ Union in 1977.