Kuala lumpur: 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 announced that in the Asia-Pacific region, Malaysia is ranked fifth, following Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Australia.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, this success was the result of a holistic approach by the Human Resources Ministry (KESUMA) as the main facilitator of Malaysia's talent ecosystem. KESUMA coordinates labor policies, skills development initiatives, industrial training programs, as well as collaboration with industries and academia. The ministry's structural transformation emphasizes policy strengthening, skills upgrading, and reskilling to ensure the national workforce remains competitive and ready to face new job trends.

To strengthen the development of future talent, Sim stated that TalentCorp under KESUMA has initiated the MyMahir Future Skills Talent Council (FSTC) and the Industry-Academia Collaboration (IAC) program. These initiatives align 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.

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