(Kuching, 11th) The government continues to intensify efforts to encourage more women to return to the workforce, particularly those facing challenges with childcare and family issues.
Malaysia's Minister of Women, Family, and Community Development, Datuk Seri Nancy, emphasized that the main challenges hindering women's participation in the workforce are childcare responsibilities, families requiring special attention, and the elderly.
“Recognizing this, the government has implemented various initiatives, including empowering the care industry and providing childcare subsidies. The government offers an 800 MYR subsidy for childcare services at government nurseries.”
Nancy made this statement during a press conference following the opening ceremony of the 2025 Borneo Regional International Women's Day Celebration held at Sötheya University Hotel today.
However, she also encouraged the private sector to provide similar facilities to support female employees.
Additionally, she emphasized the importance of providing more nurseries in the workplace so that parents, particularly mothers, can more easily return to work without worrying about childcare issues.
To strengthen the workforce in the care industry, the government has also increased nursing training programs through the Malaysia Institute of Social Science (ISM).
“Last year, we successfully trained 385 people, and this year we aim to increase that to 485 people.”
She also added that the program aims to cultivate highly qualified workers, from certificates to diploma levels.
Meanwhile, Nancy said the government has announced an allocation of 5 million MYR for the PERANTIS 2025 program, which aims to enhance leadership and creativity among women, especially young people.
“We hope to see more women propose creative and innovative ideas. This project not only provides them with development opportunities but also proves women's capabilities in various fields.”
The government hopes that through these initiatives, the gap in women's labor force participation rate will narrow, and more women-friendly policies will be implemented in all employment sectors.