Special Economic Zone may help stem exodus of Malaysians seeking work in Singapore: Johor chief
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Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi said salary was among the main reasons for people seeking employment in Singapore.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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JOHOR BAHRU - Johor’s state government hopes that the setting up of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and the Special Financial Zone will help address the issue of Malaysians moving to Singapore to seek employment.
Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi said that salary was among the main reasons people seek employment in Singapore.
“I am sure with these two zones in the state, salaries will definitely go up and this will allow our locals to earn more in Johor,” he said.
He added that during a meeting with officials from a data centre, he heard that the cost of doing business in Johor was 70 per cent cheaper than in Singapore.
“During this discussion, the management was willing to increase the wages of those working at the centre in future,” he said during a dialogue session on Aug 17, on the one-year anniversary of the Madani Economy framework at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
Datuk Onn Hafiz also said that although the signing of the special economic zone with Singapore would only be at the end of 2024, there was already a lot of interest from investors about investing in the zone.
Meanwhile, Melaka Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh, who was one of the panellists at the dialogue, said that the state was committed to the success of the Southern Gateway Economic Corridor with Johor and Negri Sembilan.
“Tourism will be among the focus areas with Negri Sembilan, while we hope to develop coastal areas with Johor,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
