Government Urges Malaysians Working Abroad To Come Home, Says Jobs Are Available

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As more Malaysians work and settle overseas, the government is boosting efforts to encourage their return, assuring that jobs, career guidance, and long-term opportunities await them at home

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan said Malaysians abroad are free to return at any time, with support provided through Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp) initiatives.

"We are working on initiatives to have better opportunities for Malaysians to work in their home country," The Star quoted him as saying during a corporate briefing at the TalentCorp office earlier this week.

Ramanan acknowledged that neighbouring countries such as Singapore offer higher salaries, but said the issue cannot be viewed through pay alone.

"We cannot look at this from one aspect only, in terms of high salaries," he said, pointing out that higher wages abroad often come with a higher cost of living.

According to the minister, Malaysia needs a more holistic approach to encourage local talent to return home, reported the New Straits Times.

One of the key tools highlighted is MyNext, a TalentCorp platform designed to help students, graduates, and working professionals identify suitable career paths through psychometric assessments

"You may graduate without knowing which path to take," Ramanan said.

"MyNext helps you identify suitable careers and placements."

TalentCorp group chief executive officer (CEO) Edward Ling said the platform assesses a person's skills, values, and suitability for specific roles, and can also guide users on what skills they need to develop.

"For example, if you aspire to be an artificial intelligence engineer, the platform can show you what you need to upskill and whether your profile fits that role," he said, adding that MyNext is not limited to fresh graduates but also caters to professionals seeking a career change.

Beyond job matching, TalentCorp chairperson Wong Shu Qi framed the government's approach as "brain circulation" rather than brain drain, encouraging Malaysians to gain experience overseas and eventually return with new skills and knowledge.

"Our vision is to build high-value, high-growth industries in Malaysia that can offer better wages and long-term opportunities, so talents can return," she said.

Wong added that returning home is not just about salary considerations, but also about quality of life and family ties, reported Bernama.

"With more comprehensive initiatives, we hope to offer far more opportunities to Malaysians who are considering whether they want to return," she said.

TalentCorp also supports workforce planning through its MyMahir Malaysia Critical Occupations List (MyCOL)

It's an annual report identifying roles that are critical to Malaysia's economic transformation and remain difficult to fill.

For the 2024/2025 edition, the report identified 66 critical occupations nationwide, including details on which states face the most urgent shortages.

Wong said improving Malaysia's competitiveness and ease of doing business has also helped attract investments, creating more high-paying jobs and making it more viable for professionals abroad to return.

Expatriates are also encouraged to help fill critical skill gaps

To support this, TalentCorp and immigration authorities operate the Malaysia Expatriate Services Centre (MYXpats), which has significantly reduced processing times.

"Previously, employment pass applications could take up to six months," Wong said.

"With improvements to MYXpats, the process has now been shortened to just five days."

The government hopes these measures will not only attract Malaysians home, but also strengthen the country's talent ecosystem, ensuring that skills, experience, and opportunities continue to circulate rather than leave for good.