Sarawak’s PCDS2030 drives prosperity forward

KUCHING: The Sarawak Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS) outlines initiatives in six economic sectors: Manufacturing, Agriculture, Tourism, Forestry, Mining, and Services. These initiatives aim to drive Sarawak towards a prosperous future.

Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg urged Sarawakians to embrace global challenges and prioritize the need for Sarawak to adapt, evolve, and create opportunities for growth and sustainable development.

“The Sarawak Government, in collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), is currently developing the Sarawak Workforce Information System (SWIS) database, which is expected to be completed this year.

Once finished, we will have a comprehensive labour market database system containing information about industry demand for the workforce in the short and long term.

This will help match the demand with the available talent supply,” he stated in his ‘Amanat Premier’.

“Additionally, the Sarawak Government has recently commissioned a new system called Sistem Pesanan Kerjaya (SPEAK) to complement the SWIS database.

This system will provide school students, job seekers, and youths in Sarawak with up-to-date information on the latest training and study opportunities,” he added.

The collaboration between UNIMAS and the Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD) aims to populate SWIS with sufficient data, focusing on all six economic sectors outlined in the Plan for Comprehensive Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS2030).

UNIMAS initiated the collaboration with MEITD in 2022 to enhance SWIS further. The system was initially developed in 2017 by SAINS and launched in 2019 as a web-based platform to capture both the current and projected workforce supply and demand in Sarawak.

To date, approximately 644 companies have registered on the system, to reach 800 registrations within this year. This registration drive is crucial for gaining a broader and more accurate understanding of the workforce landscape in Sarawak.

The collaboration between the Sarawak government and UNIMAS in enhancing SWIS highlights the importance of combining academic expertise with governmental resources to address workforce challenges and opportunities in the region.

This collaboration also aims to fulfil the state’s aspiration of developing a digital platform for Sarawakians, facilitating job seeking and matching it with the industry’s needs, particularly in the new economy sectors.

Furthermore, it aims to enhance the level of competency among Sarawak’s human capital.

The UNIMAS team, led by Dr Florianna Lendai Michael, comprises Prof. Ts Dr Shanti Faridah Salleh, Assoc Prof Ts Dr Hamimah Ujir, Assoc Prof Dr Kartinah Ayupp, Assoc. Prof Dr Bong Chih How, Ts. Dr. Ade Syaheda Wani Marzuki, and Dr Goy Siaw Ching.