MALAYSIA is taking measures to tackle the brain drain phenomenon, which at 5.5% of the population is much higher than the global average of 3.3%, said Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said.

“A total of 1.86 million Malaysians live abroad, and out of these, 1.13 million are in Singapore,” he said in Kuala Lumpur, yesterday.

According to the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs, in 2020, the main destinations for the Malaysian diaspora are Singapore, Bangladesh, Australia, United Kingdom, the United States and Brunei, Sivakumar said, adding that it was a long-term task to persuade Malaysians to return to their country.

“One, how are you going to pull back people who have left to work abroad? What’s the best way to offer certain attractive incentives to get them back?

“Second, how do we ensure there are no attractive factors (abroad) or alternatively, pushing factors in the local industry causing them to leave?

“This is the heavy burden (of the government), we’re doing what we can (to solve) this issue the best way possible.” – Bernama, March 9, 2023.