SALARY STRUCTURE FOR ENGINEERS NEED TO BE REASSESSED - FADILLAH

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- The remuneration and salary component must be reviewed to attract more students to take up engineering in their tertiary education to address the engineer-to-population ratio.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said Malaysia's current engineer-to-population ratio, which stands at 1:170, well below the 1:100 ratio seen in developed countries, needs to be urgently addressed. 

Fadillah who is also the Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) Minister said reports indicated that 35 per cent of junior engineers earned less than RM2,000 per month.

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"As we analyse the reasons behind this disparity, we must reassess salary structures to attract more students to take up engineering courses," he said. 

Fadillah said this in his speech when officiating the Engineering Exhibition and Conference Malaysia (ENGINEER) and its concurrent Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration and Ventilation Exhibition Malaysia (MARVEX) 2024 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) here today.

Also present were Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department's director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad, Malaysian Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Association (MACRA) President Peter Tan Chin Wah, C.I.S President Datuk Vincent Lim and Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) President Prof Dr Jeffrey Chiang Choong Luin.

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The four-day event which started yesterday is a strategic alliance between IEM, MACRA, and C.I.S, offering insights into the latest mechanical, electrical, and cleanroom technologies critical to Malaysia’s industrial and economic future.

Fadillah noted that Malaysia need to boost engineering talent to meet industrial demand and drive economic growth and innovation, as the profession is essential for pushing boundaries in applied science, directly impacting the future of industries like construction and manufacturing.

"The role of engineers is vital, they are not just problem solvers but catalysts of innovation, which are essential to our economic vibrancy and dynamism,” he said.

The minister said the country’s struggle to meet its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education goals was further compounding the issue when only 45 per cent of Malaysian students pursued STEM-related fields, falling short of the 60 per cent target set by the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

To address the issue, Fadillah emphasised the government’s ongoing efforts to promote STEM through the Techlympics and National Science Week, which aim to foster greater interest in science and technology by 2030.

He also highlighted the country’s emerging role in the data centre market, stating that Malaysia is set to become Asia’s third-largest data centre hub, trailing only Japan and India.

“The strategic location, favourable government policies, and competitive costs for land and utilities make Malaysia an attractive destination for data centres, recognised as the fastest-growing data centre market in Southeast Asia,” Fadillah said.

-- BERNAMA