SABAH is moving to integrate a comprehensive database for national labour after years of fragmented records scattered across multiple agencies. The state had long been relying on foreign workers.
Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan said lack of a unified system made it difficult for policymakers to accurately assess workforce needs and plan labour development strategies.
Advertisement
Speaking at the Labour Market Strengthening Action Plan Workshop for Sabah, he said stronger coordination between federal and state agencies was needed to build a more inclusive labour data system.
“We need a more inclusive database, not one that only serves certain parties. When data is coordinated, we can plan and implement labour market strategies more effectively,” he said.
Firdaus said the workshop, also attended by Sabah Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk James Ratib, identified several structural weaknesses in Sabah’s labour ecosystem, including fragmented labour data, skills mismatches and heavy reliance on low-productivity sectors.
Statistics presented during the workshop showed that out of Sabah’s 3.7 million population, about 1.9 million are part of the labour force, including roughly 830,000 foreign workers.
Of the total workforce, 61.8 per cent are semi-skilled workers. It was also revealed that Sabah faces a skills mismatch rate of 55.5 per cent, while youth unemployment stands at 19.3 per cent.
According to data from the MYFutureJobs portal, agriculture recorded the highest share of job vacancies in Sabah at 37.7 per cent, followed by construction at 15 per cent and manufacturing at 9.8 per cent.
Firdaus said the figures highlight the urgent need for a more structured labour strategy supported by reliable data and stronger collaboration between agencies.
“To stabilise Sabah’s labour market, we must strengthen the entire ecosystem, from talent profiling and training to industry collaboration,” he said.
Among the key proposals is the establishment of the Sabah Talent Development Centre (STDC), which will serve as a central platform to coordinate talent development, workforce training and collaboration between government, industry and training institutions.
“I use the word stability because the labour market is not yet stable. Once we stabilise it, only then can we talk about real success,” he said.
.jpg)
