KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is undergoing positive growth as more of its people now have jobs, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said data from the Statistics Department showed that the state's unemployment rate went down to 7.5 per cent last year compared to 8.2 per cent in 2021.
Data, he said, showed that 1,875,800 people in the state were employed in 2022 compared to 1,856,500 in 2021.
Hajiji, who is also Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (Sedia) chairman, said the agency had carried out initiatives such as the Skills and Talents Enhancement Programme under the Human Capital Transformation effort to enhance individual skills.
As a result of that effort, SEDIA created job opportunities for 1,600 participants and 300 entrepreneurs.
"This is in line with efforts to eradicate poverty, enhance the efficiency of the transportation and logistics infrastructure, develop future talents and to ensure marketability of graduates of higher learning institutions and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)," he said after chairing the Sedia board of directors meeting at Menara Kinabalu here today.
Statistics also showed that Sabah's workforce participation rate increased to 70.9 per cent in 2022 compared to 70.4 per cent in the previous year.
"Sedia is still relevant as the core mover of regional economic development. I want Sedia to make a big shift in the planning and implementation of its projects to boost Sabah's development.
"By 2024, Sedia should focus on investments in logistics, agriculture and tourism and point its sights on new economic activities encompassing renewable energy, technology usage in agriculture, livestock and fisheries, among others," he said.
Hajiji also expressed appreciation to the Economy Ministry for entrusting Sedia with the implementation of several initiatives and projects in Sabah, among them the solar system installation project for government buildings, Sepanggar Bay Container Port expansion project and the upgrading of the access road to the proposed site of the Serudong Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) in Kalabakan.
Sedia is also chosen as the coordinator and planner of the Malaysia Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit for the Sabah Region next year.
