BUKIT MERTAJAM, Feb 4 — The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (Kpwkm) is stepping up a range of initiatives to increase women’s participation in the national workforce, aimed at achieving a 60 per cent target by 2033.
Deputy Minister Lim Hui Ying said the current national female labour force participation rate stands at 56.9 per cent, stressing that sustained and strengthened efforts are needed to meet the target.
She said key initiatives include skills enhancement and reskilling programmes, particularly to encourage homemakers to re-enter the job market.
“Our target is 60 per cent. Although the gap may appear small, it is not easy to achieve. Therefore, we will continue to make every effort to meet this target by 2033, including encouraging homemakers to return to employment,” she said.
Lim said this when speaking to reporters after officiating the Penang-level International Women’s Day celebration here today. Also present were Seberang Perai Mayor Datuk Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid and Department of Women’s Development deputy director-general Dr Faridah Awang.
She added that under the Women’s Development Plan, various initiatives have been planned and will be implemented nationwide through the respective states.
Lim said the 56.9 per cent figure reflects women registered in the formal sector, noting that many others are employed in the informal sector or are full-time homemakers and therefore not captured in the statistics.
In this regard, she said the government is also placing emphasis on developing the care economy and caregiving industry as potential sectors to generate more employment opportunities for women.
Earlier in her speech, Lim noted that Penang recorded a significant increase in female labour force participation, rising to 57.6 per cent in 2024 compared with 46.7 per cent in 2022 and 47.3 per cent in 2023.
She said the increase is in line with Penang’s position as a hub for industry, technology, education and the creative economy, and underscores that the state’s progress cannot be achieved without the active participation of women. — Bernama
