The issue of ‘poor engineers’ has plagued the local engineering industry and the government views this matter seriously, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said the low starting salary of engineers in the country remained static and this will affect youths’ interest in the profession, thus affecting the country’s development and the economy as the ratio of engineers to the population of Malaysia is much lower when compared to Japan and Germany.
“Salaries and remuneration in the Civil Service Engineering scheme need to be reviewed, taking into account factors such as engineering expertise and cost of living,” he said.
Ismail suggests that more efforts be made to appoint more engineers to fill strategic and policy-making positions in the public service.
He also urged the government-linked companies (GLC) to appoint engineers to senior management positions, including members of the board of directors, and chief executives.
At the same time, Ismail said Malaysian engineers should be more aggressive to innovate and produce products and technology with high market value.
“The government always encourages research and development (R&D) efforts to ensure Malaysia is not only a technology user but also creators and technology producers. This is what we hope for,” he said.
Ismail then gave credit to the local engineering profession, saying that it has contributes significantly to the country and allowed the country to enjoying great progress.
“The expertise of local engineers allows the infrastructure, manufacturing, telecommunications, petroleum and power generation sectors to be developed to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to this country,” he said.
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