TalentCorp 2020 Wrap-Up

This year, TalentCorp continues our series of engagements and the growth of our existing programmes, tailoring them to meet the requirements of the ‘new normal’ caused by COVID-19. On top of that, we introduced new initiatives to cushion the pandemic’s impact. 

Here are some of our highlights and milestones from the last 12 months:

1. Critical Occupations List (COL) 2019/2020

TalentCorp continues to develop the Critical Occupations List (COL) together with the Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis (ILMIA) and the World Bank to identify talent shortages in Malaysia’s key industries. The COL 2019/2020 is the fifth edition to date and covers 58 critical occupations from 18 key sectors, and is used to co-ordinate policy interventions related to higher education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), talent upskilling, scholarship management, and immigration.

To gain current industry perspectives on the opportunities and challenges facing Malaysia’s human capital in the digital age, TalentCorp organised a closed-door Future of Work Roundtable with key sector representatives in February 2020. 

TalentCorp was able to expand on this in July 2020, when we co-organised the Economic Action Council Workshop Series themed ‘Malaysia’s Future Workforce’. Input gathered during the session was incorporated into Malaysia’s medium-term recovery plan as well as the Twelfth Malaysia Plan, 2021-2025.

In February 2020, TalentCorp contributed at a regional level by participating in engagements organised by the APEC 2020 Human Resource Development Working Group – Labour Social Protection Network (LSPN). This working group aims to foster strong and flexible labour markets, and strengthen social protection across APEC member economies. 

We were invited to Roundtable Discussions through strategic linkages with public and private sector partners across the country, such as with the Penang state government in March 2020, which was organised to obtain stakeholder and industry feedback on talent attraction strategies related to the state’s human resource requirements. This was followed with a Roundtable Discussion with the Penang Deputy Chief Minister II in July 2020, during which we contributed ideas on providing assistance to the state’s workers retrenched by COVID-19. 

We undertook similar engagements in other states, such as a discussion on Kedah’s talent requirements which was organised in June 2020 with Invest Kedah, the Kedah Industrial Skills and Management Development Centre (KISMEC) and the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

3. Opportunities for knowledge sharing 

Throughout the year, TalentCorp also successfully secured opportunities to share our ideas and expertise through key national-level platforms. This included:

• Contributing to the development of the National Oil & Gas Services and Equipment (OGSE) Industry Blueprint 2021-2030, which will be the single reference point and framework for the structured and sustainable development for Malaysia’s OGSE industry from 2021 to 2030. 
• Participating in the Labour Market Intervention Working Committee Workshop under the Malaysian Social Protection Council (MySPC); 
• Providing input at the Services Sector Blueprint 2.0 meeting organised by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI); and 
• Joining a National Wage Index meeting organised by ILMIA to give input on the indicators measuring remuneration changes for occupations in Malaysia’s labour market.   

COVID-19 has affected our youths with many being forced to postpone their plans for education and even their transition into the labour market. We made efforts to cushion the economic impact of COVID-19 on Malaysian youths by growing our existing programmes and introducing new ones: 

1. #KisahSiswa 



In April 2020, TalentCorp launched our #KisahSiswa graduate employability initiative under the Young Employable Students (YES!) framework as a response to the issues and challenges presented with COVID-19. As of September 2020, over 1,500 talents benefitted from #KisahSiswa with support from 120 career coaches representing Higher Learning Institutons, TVET institutions and industry professionals.

Click here to find out more about #KisahSiswa.

2. #BeliaBekerja Virtual Career Fairs

Together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) and IMPACT Malaysia, TalentCorp co-organised the #BeliaBekerja Virtual Career Fair in May 2020 to help ease COVID-19 unemployment. The event featured the participation of close to 40 employers and attracted over 11,000 attendees. This was followed by #BeliaBekerja 2.0 in August 2020, which was also met with positive reception from job seekers.

3. Semester Break Programme (SBP) 

We held our first virtual Semester Break Programme (SBP) in September themed ‘Survival Kit for Graduates: Welcome to Adulthood!’ in collaboration with Seeds Job Fair. The 3-day event attracted over 4,300 views via Zoom and Facebook Live, and covered topics relevant to young people, including manging finances and creating personal branding. 

Click here to find out more about the SBP. 

4. Nurturing EXpert Talent (NEXT) 

In October 2020, TalentCorp’s proprietary psychometric assessment system Nurturing EXpert Talent (NEXT) achieved a milestone of over 129,000 graduate and student users from various Higher Learning Institutions in Malaysia. This sets the stage for the initiative’s planned expansion throughout the country in the next few years. 

Click here to find out more about NEXT.

5. #MyDigitalWorkforceWeek 

In collaboration with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), TalentCorp participated in the #MyDigitalWorkforce Week in August 2020 to help connect job seekers to career and upskilling opportunities in the digital job market. The event featured the participation of close to 130 employers and attracted over 10,000 attendees.

6. Structured Internship Programme 

TalentCorp works with employers to equip tertiary students with industry relevant skills via quality internships. Since 2013, more than 80,000 undergraduates and TVET talents have benefitted from the Structured Internship Programme (SIP) whereby companies are eligible for double tax deduction for all related expenses incurred on interns. TalentCorp also conducted employer briefings throughout the year, mostly through virtual platforms, to increase SIP awareness and boost company registrations. 

Click here to find out more about the SIP.

To support national efforts to boost Malaysia’s female labour force participation rate, TalentCorp collaborates with employers to facilitate women back to the workforce through the Career Comeback Programme (CCP). 

This year, the programme branched out into virtual-based learning and networking sessions with employers. To date, this new approach has successfully garnered the participation of close to 1,200 women who want re-enter the workforce. In addition to the CCP, TalentCorp facilitates applications for the tax exemption for women returning from a career break, as announced in Budget 2018 and Budget 2020. 

Click here to find out more about the Career Comeback Programme.

2. Work-life Practices (WLPs) advisory services 

TalentCorp supports employers in preparing for the Future of Work through our Work-Life Practices (WLPs) advisory services. In the period from 2015 to 2020, we engaged with over 900 employers who were interested to know more about WLPs and of these, a total of 150 companies have moved to implement WLPs in their workplace. 

Throughout the Movement Control Order (MCO) period, TalentCorp sought to provide greater value by organising webinar workshops to spread awareness and encourage greater adoption of WLPs by employers. TalentCorp also collaborated with UNDP Malaysia on the ‘How We can Make Work, Work: Learning from the COVID-19 for Better Flexible Work Arrangements’ report that will be released in early 2021. 

Click here to find out more about Work-Life Practices. 

3. LIFE AT WORK 2019 Awards (LAWA 2019) 

To celebrate employers who champion diversity and inclusion through innovative work, workplace and workforce strategies, TalentCorp organises the annual LIFE AT WORK Awards (LAWA). The full list of LAWA 2019 winners were announced via video in July 2020, in line with the 'new normal' brought on by COVID-19. 128 companies submitted their entries for participation in LAWA 2019, marking an increase of over 30 per cent compared to the previous year’s submissions. 

Click here to find out more about the LIFE AT WORK Awards.

Facilitating Talent Mobility and Leveraging on Global Expertise

To support local and multinational companies as they manage the impact of the pandemic, TalentCorp works to ensure that our global talent initiatives continue to align with employers’ changing needs and the realities of the post-COVID-19 landscape: 

1. Returning Expert Programme (REP)

As announced in the Budget 2021, the Returning Expert Programme (REP) designed to encourage Malaysians abroad to bring their expertise home has been extended to 2023. 

Click here to find out more about the Returning Expert Programme. 

2. Residence-Pass Talent (RP-T) 

To complement the Malaysian talent pool, foreign talent with the right professional skills is needed to catalyse the transfer of knowledge, skills and advanced technologies. Almost 9,000 expatriates have been approved under the Residence-Pass Talent (RP-T) since 2011, with the majority of these being C-suites and top management professionals with over 10 years of international working experience. 

Click here to find out more about the Residence-Pass Talent. 

3. The Malaysia Expatriate Talent Service (MYXpats) Centre

In August 2020, MYXpats organised a Roundtable Discussion by MOHA together with the Immigration Department of Malaysia and Industry Partners to obtain industry input on policy changes in expatriate hiring. Beginning September 2020, applications by companies under the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) must be made through the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) on-line platform and processed by the MYXpats Centre. 

4. Digitalisation processes for MYXpats appointments

The implementation of safety requirements due to COVID-19 also led to changes in several processes under MYXpats. In May 2020, the centre announced that the ESD and RP-T platforms would be enhanced with the addition of its new MyHelp On-line Appointment module. 

This was followed up several months later with the implementation of the MYEntry on-line system on the ESD platform. Together, these enhancements aim to facilitate on-line travel applications by expatriates in adherence to the Government’s public safety guidelines.

It has been a memorable year for us at TalentCorp, and we look forward to the new year!

Interested in collaborating with us? Contact us today!