Recently, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid announced at a promotion ceremony of the Johor Talent Development Council that Johor will become the first state in the country to offer generous salaries to highly skilled and skilled employees, particularly in specific areas of the Johor Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), with the aim of enhancing the state's advantage in competition with Singapore for skilled workers.

According to a report by the Malaysian News Agency, Ahmad Zahid clearly stated at the meeting that the Johor state government will strive to ensure that individuals holding vocational education diplomas or equivalent bachelor's degrees can receive a minimum salary of RM4000 to RM5000. This salary standard is nearly twice as high as the average starting salary of RM2700 for bachelor's degree holders in Malaysia, which will undoubtedly be highly attractive to job seekers. Ahmad Zahid proudly stated that so far, no other state has been able to provide such generous treatment, and Johor's move undoubtedly leads the country.

The importance of the Johor Singapore Special Economic Zone as a gateway for economic cooperation between the two countries is self-evident. Ahmad Zahid revealed that there are currently about 100000 high-quality job opportunities in the special zone, of which 74000 positions are under recruitment. Unfortunately, only 52000 positions have successfully found suitable candidates. This talent gap undoubtedly poses a challenge to the long-term development of the special zone, and the high salary policy launched by Johor is aimed at filling this gap and attracting more high skilled talents to come and work.

Ahmad Zahid is not only the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, but also serves as the Chairman of the Malaysian Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council. He is well aware that in today's increasingly globalized world, skilled labor has become a key factor driving economic development. Therefore, Johor is actively building a skilled labor ecosystem, and the establishment and operation of the Johor Talent Development Council is aimed at strengthening this ecosystem and providing high skilled employment opportunities for people.

Ahmad Zahid also pointed out that with the continuous changes and development of the global economy, Malaysians are facing more and more overseas employment choices. In order to avoid brain drain, it is particularly important to provide competitive salaries. Therefore, the high salary policy launched by Johor this time is not only to attract external talents, but also to retain local talents and inject new vitality into the economic development of Johor and even the entire Malaysia.

In order to promote training and find talents to join the workforce, Ahmad Zahid also instructed vocational education and training institutions to allocate RM20 million to the Johor Talent Development Council. This funding will be used to enhance the skill level of local labor force, strengthen their employment competitiveness, and provide more high-quality talent choices for enterprises in the special zone.