Saturday 22 December 2012

ABUNDANT JOBS IN THE PLANTATION SECTOR






ADMIRING.......Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Bernard Dompok (middle) admiring the palm oil brunches on display at the Career Carnival.

By : ELAINE MAH

THE GOVERNMENT has no option but to bring in foreign workers to fill the mass vacancies in the plantation industries and commodities sector, according to Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

He said the plantation and commodities sector is a key contributor to the nation’s economic growth. The export earnings from commodities in the country in 2011 recorded a 24 percent increase from RM114.2 billion in 2011 to RM141.2 billion in 2012. This figure is expected to rise to RM282.6 billion by the year 2020. As such the sector provides a large number of jobs.

Disclosing details, Dompok said 394,334 people work in oil palm plantations all over Malaysia as of September this year. Of this figure, 299,569 people or 76 percent are foreign workers.

He was speaking to a gathering of job seekers at the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities Career Carnival held at Penampang recently.

Dompok said that his Ministry constantly receives complaints from plantations and factory owners regarding the difficulties they faced in employing local workers especially for the positions of managers, mechanics, electricians, as well as positions in administration and finance.

“As of September 2012, there are 26,167 vacancies in the oil palm plantation industry that needs to be filled. Of this figure, 5,549 vacancies are in Sabah,” he said.

Dompok urged job seekers to participate in the various training programmes conducted by the Institute of Malaysia Plantation and Commodities (IMPAC) where participants will be trained to become semi-skilled and skilled workers in the oil palm, rubber, cocoa, wood, kenaf and pepper industries.

“With the exposure and training provided at IMPAC, even more opportunities in the plantations and commodities sector will be opened to those who are interested,” he told the gathering.

Dompok also urged employers to prioritise local job seekers when hiring, as many local graduates and trainees are qualified to fill the vacancies.

The Career Carnival, organised by Dompok’s Ministry is a one-stop centre for job registrations, open interview sessions and career talks that are open to the public. The centre aims to inform and create awareness among the public of the various job opportunities in the plantation and commodities sector.

25-year-old Adriana Alphonsus from Penampang found the Carnival to be useful and informative to her as a job seeker. Adriana hopes to find a job in the plantation industry in the administrative section. She has worked previously with other companies on a contract basis and hopes to find a permanent job.

For J. Elly Tikol, 24,  from Kudat, the Carnival enables him to gather more information about career opportunities in the manufacturing sector. He is currently a student at HARINA Consultancy Services where he trains for the manufacturing sector. (Insight Sabah)

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