NOW BEST TIME FOR MALAYSIAN TECH TALENTS ABROAD TO RETURN - CHANG

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 (Bernama) -- Opportunities arising from the nation's shift towards higher value industries make this the ideal time for Malaysian technology talents abroad to return, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang.

He said Malaysia is moving up the value chain across various industries and the government will do its best to create a better ecosystem for tech professionals in the country.

"Especially those established industries like semiconductors and also we are looking at applying artificial intelligence (AI) in conventional industries. 

"We need a lot of skilled workers to help us to transform, so I think this is the best time for our Malaysian talents to come back," he told Bernama on the sidelines of the Malaysia Economic Forum here today.

He also stressed the need to facilitate the return of Malaysian tech talents, including easing border crossings for those with foreign spouses.

"We need to be more agile and flexible. We can't have too many restrictions and we need to help our talents, especially if they have foreign spouses," he said.

Earlier, in a session titled Technology: Breaking Out, Chang emphasised the importance of attracting global tech talents to Malaysia, acknowledging that it is not possible to expect all Malaysian professionals to return.    

" I think it's important for the industry and also the government to facilitate or to make our border crossing policy more agile and flexible so that Malaysia can really be a hub for tech talents and tech startups," he said.

Chang noted that Malaysia must play an important role in the global supply chain and can no longer remain at the lower end relying on cheap labour or labour-intensive industries.

He stressed the need for advancing technology to boost foreign direct investment (FDI) and meet international standards, including environmental, social and governance (ESG) and green compliance.

"That is why we have the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) where we are looking at high growth, high-value industry, and we think that is very important for us to leapfrog from the current status to higher status," he said.

-- BERNAMA