70pc of 1,182 workforce in development project are Malaysians
ISKANDAR PUTERI: Nearly 800 Malaysians make up the workforce at the Forest City development project.
This is about 70 per cent of the more than 1,100 workforce, a trend that will be sustained in the 20-year development period to complete the world-class smart and green city.
Forest City master developer Country Garden Pacificview (CGPV) Sdn Bhd executive director Datuk Md Othman Yusof said all this would benefit local skilled and professional workers. The figure would dispel claims that there were only Chinese citizens hired for the project, which was led by a Chinese developer, he said.
These Malaysians took home marketrate salaries and enjoy a slew of benefits ranging from accommodation to meals, and were part of the world’s first smart green city project, Othman added.
“What is gratifying is that those who had gone abroad to work are coming back because of the Forest City project.
“Team work, the passion to embrace challenges and deliver quality work are the criteria of working in this company.
“Forest City will have a positive impact on the state and country through job opportunities and economic growth,” he said in an interview at Forest City.
Othman said the company had a staff of 1,182 workers and was projecting 220,000 job opportunities in its 20-year development.
Nusajaya assemblyman Dr Zaini Abu Bakar said Johor folk would benefit from the melting pot of expertise that Forest City would bring as the mega project attracted the best Malaysian brains and skilled workers.
“The people must develop themselves by enhancing their skills.
“When the project first started, the company could not find skilled workers and they had to get skilled workers from overseas.
“But as Johor folk built up their skills and possess the skills that meet the demands of the company, CGPV began gradually roping in these workers, who will eventually make up the majority of the workforce in Forest City,” said Dr Zaini.