New minister makes first official visit to TalentCorp

THE newly appointed Human Resources Minister, Steven Sim Chee Keong and Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Haji Abdul Rahman recently made their first official visit to Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp), an agency under the Ministry of Human Resources tasked to drive Malaysia’s talent strategy towards becoming a dynamic talent hub.

During the two-hour visit, TalentCorp’s group chief executive officer, Thomas Mathew provided a briefing on the agency’s vision and its data-based initiatives for local and global talent groups, including school children, university students, graduates, women, senior hire, the Malaysian diaspora and high-skilled expatriates.

He also shared TalentCorp’s goals for the upcoming year and highlighted initiatives that are sector-focused and industry-driven.

The delegation also visited the MYXpats Centre, a joint initiative between TalentCorp and the Immigration Department of Malaysia under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

There, Sim and Abdul Rahman met with beneficiaries of TalentCorp’s programmes, as well as officers from the Immigration Department of Malaysia stationed at MYXpats for the seamless operations and facilitation of skilled global talent.

In his inaugural address to TalentCorp and its senior leadership team, Sim noted that the world is increasingly geo-fragmented with shrinking markets.

“As policy makers, we need to understand the global situation to be relevant, and be creative in what the country can do to capitalise on short-term boom, as well as prepare ourselves for long-term and sustainable solutions.

“While it is important to mould the behaviour of our future workforce through graduate employability and skilling initiatives, it is equally important to mould the behaviour of employers to adopt changes in talent management,” he shared, citing examples such as offering competitive wages, flexible work arrangements, and upskilling opportunities.

The competition for talent, added Sim, is not just between the government through national policies, but also between businesses in different countries.

Attracting and developing talent, he said, is a two-way street which requires not only equipping talent with future-ready skills but also demands employers to implement effective, future-proof retention strategies and revitalise their workplaces.

“This is where I see TalentCorp playing a key, proactive role to drive sector-focused, industry-driven initiatives aimed at transforming Malaysia into a dynamic talent hub.

“The agency is in a unique position to help increase the availability of high-skilled human capital for the country through its many programmes for both local and global talent, working across ministries, agencies, industry and academia,” he said.