From Sun2Surf
(Wed, 06 Oct 2010)
THE setting up of the Talent Corporation is certainly a good idea. Better still if it is successful in its task of persuading Malaysian professionals who are working abroad to come home. It will start working only in January and hopefully by the end of next year there would be some indication as to how many of them are coming back.
The government has for a long time been concerned about Malaysians not coming back after completing their studies abroad. Far from forgetting them it has been appealing to them to return. But not many have returned because they get better salaries abroad and better working and living conditions.
The government’s attitude then was "if that’s your choice, so be it". But things have changed. The government urgently wants them to come back and that is why the corporation was set up. We only have 10 years left before reaching our goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020. The worry is that without skilled labour the goal may not be achieved. Companies have complained to the human resources minister about the shortage of skilled labour. If that is not overcome soon, the country may not be able to attract more high-technology industries to its shores.
It is estimated that about half of the approximately 700,000 working abroad are in Singapore, Australia, Britain and the United States. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that the time for waiting for those working abroad to enquire about job prospects at home is over. The government through the corporation will have to go to them, wherever they are, and woo them back. "We will find out from them what it takes for them to consider going back home and at the same time create more business opportunities and pay them wages that are more aligned with the global wage," he said in Brussels two days ago. As further inducement he said that work would also be found for their foreign wives.
Many of those working abroad have heard of these promises before and some did return but found the red tape just too much for them to bear that after a while they went back. So the task of the Talent Corporation is also to convince the Malaysians living and working abroad that things are different now. At the same time it must not forget those professionals who have stayed. Some form of adjustments will have to be made. But it would be interesting to find out what reasons those who do not want to return give to officials of the corporation. And it is probably for these very reasons that the Talent Corporation will not be able to bring most of the professionals home.
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