Economic Transformation Progamme (ETP) is an initiative by the Malaysian government to drive the economy. While some quarters are rather skeptical about its success, the ETP is certainly one of the best economic reform blueprint the government of Malaysia has come up with in the recent years.

The CEO of ETP is Datuk Seri Idris Jala and according to him, the ETP is expected to create 3.3 million jobs over the next 10 years, with more than 60% of which would be in the medium-income or high-income salary brackets. This figure certainly augurs well with job seekers.

What kind of jobs shall we expect to be created? They certainly are in connection with the 12 National Key Economic Areas as identified under the 10th Malaysia Plan namely:

• Oil, Gas & Energy

• Palm Oil

• Financial Services

• Tourism

• Business Services

• Electrical and Electronics

• Wholesale and Retail

• Education

• Healthcare

• Communications

• Content and Infrastructure

• Agriculture

• Greater Kuala Lumpur

By looking at the above economic areas, it seems everyone stands a chance to be included as it would involve almost every profession. To begin with, 131 projects were identified that includes:

• Building 141km of new rail lines and a high-speed rail system to connect Kuala Lumpur and Singapore

• Revitalize the Klang river into a heritage and commercial district

• Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project

• Development of the Rubber Research Institute land in Sungai Buloh

• A regional hub for oil field services

The projects are mostly infrastructure-related and the immediate beneficiary is certainly the construction industry. Some quarters have said that the number of workforce is difficult to meet based on the fact that Malaysia does not have enough high skilled workers and Datuk Seri Idris Jala has made it obvious the need for skilled workers when he said 46% of these jobs will require vocational and technical skills.

Whether the workforce will be met by local people or expatriates, we can be sure some jobs that are directly related to the projects will be in greater demand. Engineers (Civil, Electrical & Electronics or Mechanical related, Architects, Quantity Surveyors) obviously top the list. Secondly, education is key to churn out the skilled workers, thus the demand for good academicians such as lecturers, trainers and researchers will also be on the rise.

ETP is an ambitious plan but if carried out accordingly (that require more than a steely will power), the objective of a higher Gross National Income (GNI) per capita from RM23,700 to RM48,000 will be realized, in line with the World Bank’s high-income benchmark. Isn’t that the dream of every wage earner?

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