KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 -- Kelly Services has expressed hope that the government would announce a clear framework to help create a more balanced workforce in Malaysia in the 2020 Budget that also supports women who wish to work flexibly, in order to increase female participation in the local workforce.

In a statement today, managing director and country head Brian Sim said the government should consider the fact that some women require flexible work environments to balance their responsibilities to their family, and therefore prefer to work part-time and often need to give up on certain benefits that that full-time workers have.

Kelly Services also hopes that government would announce an initiative to increase employability of local labour by closing the local skill gap in the budget.

“There is undoubtedly a skill gap in Malaysia and the government is cognisant of this fact. However, businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who are the backbone of any strong economy, still look at employing foreign labour rather than providing a solution to the skill gap by cultivating their existing workforce.

“In this context, it would be good to see the government creating tax exemptions for businesses that upskill that employees regularly, or even offer allowances to businesses to encourage the upskilling of their workforce,” it said.

Sim said doing this would generate awareness among businesses with regards to grooming and upskilling existing workers rather than looking at foreign labour to fill the skill gap.

“This is a topic that has been discussed throughout the year and has indeed seen a lot of effort from various ministries and government agencies.

“Most of the effort over the past year comes in the form of education and upskilling, yet there is still a lack of awareness among workers and businesses as to the avenues available to the local workforce to upskill themselves and increase their value in the market,” he added.

-- BERNAMA