SME sector seen to create more jobs in Sabah

THE Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector had increased job opportunities in Sabah to 452,021 in the year 2015, compared to 324,438 in 2010.

According to Assistant Industrial Development Minister Datuk Bolkiah Ismail, the Department of Statistics provided this figure according to SME growth of 55,702 compared to 40,931 in 2010.

“The SME sector contributed 98 per cent of business growth in Sabah, in general, and played a big role in the contribution to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the state especially,” he told the State Legislative Assembly.

“Although the statistics do not show SME contribution to GDP in Sabah, SME contribution to the country’s GDP is 36.3 per cent,” Bolkiah said.

He added that new programmes implemented by the ministry, such as the Shared Services Outsourcing Centre (SSO), had helped to market SME products to supermarkets and shops, and market development programmes at the national and international level.