Malaysia rises eight sport to 25th in IMD Talent Ranking

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has jumped eight spots to 25th position in the IMD World Talent Ranking 2025, reflecting the country’s growing ability to become one of the key destinations for global professionals.

Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said that in the Asia-Pacific region, Malaysia is ranked fifth, after Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Australia.

He said this success was the result of a holistic approach by the Human Resources Ministry as the main facilitator of Malaysia’s talent ecosystem.

“The Ministry coordinates labour policies, skills development initiatives, industrial training programmes, as well as collaboration with industries and academia.

“The ministry’s structural transformation emphasises policy strengthening, skills upgrading and reskilling to ensure the national workforce remains competitive and ready to face new job trends,” he said in a statement.

To strengthen the development of future talent, Sim said TalentCorp under the Ministry has initiated the MyMahir Future Skills Talent Council (FSTC) and the Industry-Academia Collaboration (IAC) programme.

“These initiatives are in line with international practices that stress sector-based skills development, employer involvement, and the integration of both soft and technical skills to ensure graduates remain relevant to industry needs,” he added.

Sim said an integrated approach covering education, training, research, industry-academia partnerships, global talent development and labour policies is the key to positioning Malaysia as a regional talent hub that is competent, adaptable and sustainable, while driving the country’s global economic competitiveness. – Bernama

The Star. (2025, September 22). Malaysia rises eight spots to 25th in IMD Talent Ranking. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/09/22/malaysia-rises-eight-sport-to-25th-in-imd-talent-ranking

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