Lahad datu: The Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Lahad Datu has successfully created 1,729 job opportunities, with 85 percent of these positions filled by local residents, including the youth from the area, announced Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick. Ewon, who also serves as Sabah's Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport Minister, highlighted that these job opportunities were established within the downstream palm oil and biomass sectors, involving 75 companies engaged in activities such as oleochemicals, biodiesel, and biomass product manufacturing.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ewon provided details on the job structure at POIC Lahad Datu, noting that the downstream palm oil and biomass industries present a variety of employment opportunities across different skill levels and expertise. The roles range from production and processing operators, technicians, and machine maintenance personnel to operations and quality control supervisors, technical and engineering officers, and support roles in logistics, utilities, security, and administration. These insights were shared in response to a question from Datuk Dr Mohammad Yusof Apdal at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly sitting.
Mohammad Yusof (Warisan-Silam) inquired about the number of youths from the Silam state constituency and the Lahad Datu parliamentary area absorbed into POIC Lahad Datu's downstream palm oil and biomass industries, as well as their average income, job types, and skills acquired. Ewon elaborated that the average salaries offered are competitive and aligned with the diversity of roles, with monthly incomes for general workers and operators ranging from RM1,500 to RM2,600, technicians or supervisors earning from RM2,500 to RM4,000, and technical officers or professionals earning around RM4,000 and above.
Ewon emphasized that the sector offers career development pathways for local young people, enabling workers to progress from operator level to supervisory and eventually to technical or management roles through work experience and continuous training. He also mentioned that the state government, through POIC, is committed to strengthening strategic collaborations with training agencies and skills institutions to provide certified training programs, upskilling, and reskilling initiatives. This effort aims to ensure the local workforce, particularly the youth, remains relevant and competitive in meeting the needs of a rapidly growing industry.
Moreover, Ewon stated that while there is currently no specific proposal to establish a training center at POIC Lahad Datu, the state government is considering the possibility of collaborating with the federal government to implement such an initiative in the future.