Penang: The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) is stepping up a range of initiatives to increase women's participation in the national workforce, aimed at achieving a 60 per cent target by 2033. Deputy Minister Lim Hui Ying said the current national female labour force participation rate stands at 56.9 per cent, stressing that sustained and strengthened efforts are needed to meet the target.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, key initiatives include skills enhancement and reskilling programmes, particularly to encourage homemakers to re-enter the job market. Lim emphasized the challenge of achieving the target despite the seemingly small gap. She assured that efforts would be intensified to encourage homemakers to return to employment.

Lim made these remarks while speaking to reporters after officiating the Penang-level International Women's Day celebration. Also present were Seberang Perai Mayor Datuk Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid and Department of Women's Development Deputy Director-General Dr Faridah Awang. She highlighted that under the Women's Development Plan, various initiatives have been planned and will be implemented nationwide through the respective states.

The 56.9 per cent figure reflects women registered in the formal sector, Lim noted, adding that many others are employed in the informal sector or are full-time homemakers and therefore not captured in the statistics. The government is also placing emphasis on developing the care economy and caregiving industry as potential sectors to generate more employment opportunities for women.

In her earlier speech, Lim pointed out that Penang recorded a significant increase in female labour force participation, rising to 57.6 per cent in 2024 compared with 46.7 per cent in 2022 and 47.3 per cent in 2023. This increase aligns with Penang's position as a hub for industry, technology, education, and the creative economy, highlighting the essential role of women in the state's progress.