Malaysia approves RM218.5 billion in investments across 2,746 projects
The projects are expected to generate 99,030 job opportunities, while investment approvals increased 11.7 per cent from a year earlier.
Malaysia’s investment approvals reached RM218.5 billion during the first half of 2026, covering 2,746 projects expected to generate 99,030 job opportunities, said Datuk Hairil Yahri Yaacob, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI).
Approvals increased 11.7 per cent against the previous year’s corresponding period. The figures were presented in Hairil Yahri’s speech at the Academy in Industry (ADI) Media Awards 2026 in Putrajaya on Oct 27. AR Jaya Singam, MITI Deputy Secretary-General (Investment and Management), read it on his behalf.
Hairil Yahri said investment performance needed to be judged beyond monetary value, including whether Malaysians gained technological capabilities, developed skills and earned higher incomes. He said advanced industries required local technicians, engineers and professionals who could operate and develop the technology.
He pointed to the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) goal of bringing median monthly pay to RM3,500 by 2030, with employee compensation targeted at 40 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Supporting these goals would require labour productivity to grow annually by 3.6 per cent, he said.
Skilled workers made up 30.1 per cent of Malaysia’s workforce in 2025, he said, compared with the 35 per cent target for 2030. ADI addresses the skills gap by allowing participants to take up jobs while undergoing training suited to employers’ requirements.
Datuk Kamaruzzaman Johari, chairman of Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), said workplace learning accounts for 80 per cent of ADI training. The remaining 20 per cent covers theory and competency reinforcement. He urged more companies to participate.
