KUALA LUMPUR, 17 October 2026 (The Capital Post) – Malaysia’s Budget 2027 investment in workforce development must translate into better job opportunities, stronger skills matching and meaningful career progression, according to Jobstreet by SEEK Malaysia.
Its Managing Director, Nicholas Lam, said the RM8 billion allocation for technical and vocational education and training (TVET), alongside HRD Corp’s RM3 billion funding for three million training opportunities, represents a significant investment in developing the nation’s workforce.
However, he stressed that training initiatives must be aligned with actual labour market demand to deliver meaningful employment outcomes.
Citing Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) data, Lam noted that unemployment declined to 2.9% in August 2026, although skill-related underemployment among tertiary-educated workers remained at 35.2% in the second quarter of 2026.
He said the figures highlighted the importance of ensuring workers secure jobs that match their qualifications and capabilities.
Jobstreet’s platform data also showed that paid job advertisements remained broadly unchanged in the first half of 2026 compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.
Meanwhile, demand for artificial intelligence (AI) skills has increased, with AI-related advertisements accounting for 2.9% of Malaysian job listings in August 2026, compared with 0.9% in January 2024.
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Within the information and communications technology sector, the proportion rose to 14%, up from 5% in 2024.
Lam said AI-related skills were also becoming increasingly relevant in advertising, arts, media, marketing and communications.
He encouraged jobseekers to identify skills gaps based on their preferred roles while recognising how existing experience could be applied across different industries.
Employers, meanwhile, should invest in workforce development, provide opportunities for employees to apply newly acquired skills and adopt hiring practices that recognise transferable capabilities rather than relying solely on formal qualifications.
Jobstreet’s Workplace Happiness Index 2026 also found that 68% of Malaysian workers considered their jobs fulfilling, with workplace purpose emerging as the strongest contributor to employee happiness.
In his commentary on Budget 2027, Lam emphasised that closer cooperation between jobseekers, employers and training providers would be essential to ensuring Malaysia’s investment in skills development leads to relevant employment and long-term career growth – The Capital Post
