To entice more foreign talents to work in Sarawak, Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said digital scientists and technical experts will be getting five years work visas instead of having to renew annually during the International Digital Economic Conference Sarawak 2022 (Idecs 2022).
“The companies coming here also need scientists and that is why we have to revisit our immigration process.”
Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg
He asserted that Sarawak lacks experts in these disciplines due to its small population. Professionals and scientists of the highest calibre who travel to Sarawak to work for such businesses would be given “work permits straight for five years.” He also added, a five-year work visa would help the state’s economy as a whole and benefit its citizens as well.
One of the Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) signed between the state government and Microsoft (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, aims to accelerate digital transformation within the Sarawak government as well as key economic sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, as well as SMEs in the state.
Microsoft’s Enterprise Skills Initiative (ESI), which offers credentials and courses from Microsoft Learn, LinkedIn Learn, and GitHub, will enable the state government and Microsoft to work together to build a cloud network and equip public sector employees with digital skills.
There were also other MoU between the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT); the Association of Professional Technologist & Technician (APTT), Global Entrepreneurship Sdn Bhd (Startup Malaysia) and Petrosains Sdn Bhd; and the Sarawak Centre of Performance Excellence (SCOPE), Asia School of Business (ASB), and Teraju Bumiputera Corporation.
A memorandum of agreement (MoA) on a machine-learning approach for operational research, a knowledge-based approach for information understanding, and a machine-learning approach for knowledge discovery and prediction was also signed by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), and Universitas Mulia, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
