KUALA LUMPUR: The improvements in the civil service remuneration system announced in May is one of the government's measures to prevent "brain drain" in the country.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said this was to ensure that public sector workers receive wages that were competitive or equivalent to the rate given by foreign countries.
She said, however, the improvements to the civil service's salaries were dependent on the country's financial standing.
"I agree, we have to prevent brain drain, but we don't have official data on the number of people or the percentage of people migrating abroad to work.
"Therefore, we need to develop a better system to properly track these people," she said in response to a supplementary question from Roslan Hashim (PN-Kulim Bandar Baharu), who had asked about the current situation of brain drain in the country.
Zaliha said the government was aware of the issue, which had caused a shortage in skilled and talented manpower.
She said the migration of skilled personnel sponsored by the Public Service Department involved graduates who chose to work abroad after completing their studies.
"The government had previously implemented a new sponsorship model in the form of service-based convertible loans to maximise the country's returns in terms of human capital.
"This effort began in 2016 to address the issue of government-sponsored graduates working overseas," she said.
Last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said the government was looking into ways to address brain drain and to attract skilled Malaysians to return.
He had said the relevant ministries, including the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, Economy Ministry, and the Higher Education Ministry were engaging with those who could return and be placed at specific areas of competence to help the country.