Zambry Abdul Kadir says Malaysia’s E&E talent shortage is not just about engineers, as MOHE launches plan shifting focus to graduate earning power.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s electrical and electronics (E&E) industry talent needs should not be viewed solely as a shortage of degree-level engineers, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
He said industries also required diploma-level talent and existing workers with specialised skills.
Zambry said the frequently cited shortage of almost 60,000 engineers in the sector needed to be assessed based on the actual competencies and qualification levels required by individual industries.
“If we go deeper, the requirement actually relates to the needs of the respective industries. It does not necessarily have to be at degree level.
“It may be needed at diploma and certificate levels,” he told reporters after launching the Graduate Employability Strategic Plan (PSKG) 2026-2030 here today.
Zambry said the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) was working with the Economy Ministry, Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, Human Resources Ministry and other agencies to assess workforce demand and align talent development with market requirements.
This included expanding stackable programmes for workers who already possessed basic skills but needed additional training as employers introduced new machinery and technologies.
A worker with 10 years of industry experience, for example, might not need to pursue another full qualification but could instead require targeted upskilling delivered in collaboration with universities, polytechnics or community colleges, he said.
Zambry said the broader challenge was no longer merely ensuring graduates secured employment, but whether the jobs they obtained matched their qualifications, capabilities and productivity.
“The issue is no longer simply whether graduates are unable to get jobs. What matters is whether graduates are getting jobs that do not match their qualifications, skills and productivity.
“So, through this plan, we need to shift from Graduate Employability to Graduate Earning Power,” he said.
The PSKG 2026-2030 was launched in conjunction with the Higher Education Ministry Graduate Employability Conference 2026.
Zambry said the plan would require periodic reviews as market needs evolved, particularly as emerging technologies reshaped occupations and the skills sought by employers.
He cited 2024 figures showing Malaysia had 5.98 million graduates, with the graduate unemployment rate at 3.2% and median monthly graduate salaries at RM4,521.
However, he stressed that the RM4,521 figure represented graduates overall and not the starting salaries of fresh graduates.
Zambry said substantial wage disparities also remained between skill levels, citing median monthly salaries of RM5,723 for graduates in skilled occupations, RM2,550 in semi-skilled jobs and RM1,990 in low-skilled work.
He also urged employers to play a greater role in developing the talent they required.
Zambry said universities could provide engineering fundamentals, but companies were better placed to identify the specialised competencies needed for their technologies.
“The problem with you, most of the time, is that you expect us to provide a certain number of engineers, but you don’t come forward to work together with us.”
He said some companies had already begun working with universities and polytechnics on training and upskilling programmes.
The ministry would also push higher education institutions to adapt their curricula more quickly to changes in industries including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, data centres, renewable energy, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing.
Zambry said industry should increasingly function as a “co-educator” alongside higher education institutions to ensure graduates were equipped with skills relevant to emerging workforce needs.