KESUMA expands initiatives to boost high-quality job opportunities in rural areas, focusing on competitive wages and youth retention.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government through the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) continues to implement various strategic initiatives to expand high-quality and well-paid job opportunities for local workers, including in rural areas.
Deputy Minister of Human Resources Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan said the proactive measures across various ministries and agencies were aimed at reducing the migration of youth from rural areas to big cities.
He said the government also realised that competitive and commensurate wage rates were the main attraction factors in retaining youth in their original areas.
“In this regard, the government is also making efforts to ensure more suitable and equitable payment rates for all workers through the implementation of the minimum wage under the Minimum Wage Order 2024 which will come into full force on August 1 2025.
“However, the government encourages employers to offer more competitive wages and additional allowances to attract local workers,” he said.
He said this when answering a question by Datuk Seri Dr Richard Riot Jaem (GPS-Serian) on measures to expand job opportunities, including in the Serian parliamentary constituency, to reduce the migration of youth to big cities, during a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat, today.
To ensure that workers enjoy better income, Khairul Firdaus said the Starting Salary Guide and annual salary increases have been introduced under the Progressive Wage Policy to balance the capabilities of employers.
He also announced that under Budget 2026, job seekers or new graduates who need to move to a new location due to receiving a career offer will be given a mobility allowance of up to RM1,000 from the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO).
He added that the Academy in Industry (ADI) programme under KESUMA and the MyMahir platform by Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) also helped provide career paths and skills information that met the needs of the country’s economic sector.
Responding to a supplementary question from Richard Riot on the benefits of the establishment of the Serian High Technology Training Centre (ADTEC), he said it offered highly marketable programmes through collaboration with strategic industry partners.
