IPOH: There needs to be a new paradigm shift in the manufacturing sector to get more local people to work in the industry, says Liew Chin Tong.

The Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister said there needs to be a new mindset so that more Malaysians can be hired to work in the sector.

“If companies can pay more or give comparable salaries, it will make workers feel that they have prospects.

“(Companies should) Give better salaries so that they (Malaysians) don’t work in Singapore,” he said after attending an e-invoicing and New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030 awareness programme at Casuarina@Meru Hotel here on Saturday (June 8).

“Instead of paying 100 unskilled foreign workers, we want (companies) to pay 20 or 30 Malaysian skilled workers well.

“To do this, companies will need better machines and capitalisation. This is what we hope to do and deal with,” he said.

“We want better jobs and better pay for Malaysians,” he added.

Liew said the government also hopes to see more localisation of foreign direct investment (FDI) so that it can benefit small medium enterprises (SMEs).

“This is also what we will deal with, to help the FDI localise so that local SMEs will have more opportunities and businesses,” he said.